


His Pride

by AyameKage



Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Horror, Humour, M/M, Romance, byaichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:55:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 84,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3512579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyameKage/pseuds/AyameKage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo Kurosaki is in trouble, grave trouble, unless Byakuya can get to him first. When a new threat invades Ichigo's world, Byakuya steps up to the task of protecting him. The captain of the Sixth takes on this task for personal reasons pertaining to his pride... He's in love with Ichigo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first Ichigo/Byakuya story and one of my favourites. Originally it was posted on FF but I thought it was time to bring it to AO3. I hope you enjoy the story.

It could not be ignored, his instinct.

Byakuya stealthily raced towards the private Kuchiki senkaimon in flits of shunpo, while Soul Society was still covered by a blanket of darkness and shadows created by the faint glow of a crescent moon. Even though the night seemed serene, it was anything but. Behind determined steel-grey eyes was the look of urgency, his heart pounded fiercely like that of battle drums. The black cloth of his hakama, minus the sixth division haori and his kenseikan  _and_  his infamous windflower scarf, was the only thing that gave the slightest hint that something tore through the darkness with soft shuffling.

There's no time to waste.

Impulsive, yes, Byakuya acted on such weaknesses when his pride was on the line.

Upon arrival at the gate, he directly ordered for the Kuchiki manor guards to open it post haste. The purple-garbed guards, faces hidden behind half masks, did not hesitate in obeying the heir's command. The sixth-division captain was gone before they caught their next breath, leaving them in complete bafflement and gaping into the open maw of the portal that lead to the living world.

"Master…?"

It was a familiar voice, Byakuya groaned.

Racing across the blue sky of the real world, high above Karakura Town, Byakuya glanced sidelong across his right shoulder at Senbonzakura, his zanpakuto in his materialized form. It came to him in the appearance of a mighty samurai in full regalia. He wore royal purple clothing and donned a fearsome black and red mask frozen with the impression of a fierce snarl; crude teeth displayed menacingly—face completely hidden. The golden half-cherry blossom that crowned its forehead, followed by the long, dark, tied-up plumage of hair that trailed behind him, gave indication to the power that was Byakuya.

"Now is not the time, Senbonzakura," Byakuya insisted flatly, directing his eyes in front once more, searching for familiar reiatsu—spirit pressure.

"Your dream changed, Master. I'm alarmed…the talisman was activated," hesitantly spoke the soul of Byakuya's sword.

"Indeed, it was. I just can't ignore it," Byakuya answered gravely. The Kuchiki noble scowled then, "I do not wish to discuss this with you further right now, Senbonzakura."

"Very well then, be careful." Senbonzakura dissipated reluctantly.

A mother hen, Byakuya thought when a wall of reiatsu, like that of a tsunami, washed over him from his left. His frown deepened and the Gotei 13 Captain headed for that unquestionable, unstable spiritual energy.  _I knew it!_

Something is going on and Byakuya was not surprised, in fact he expected it. Furthermore, he wasn't surprise to feel another trace of spiritual energy as well, his sister Rukia's. His face hardened even more. He could only hope that he was wrong about this. He really wanted to be wrong, because he feared he might not make it in time!

The dream Senbonzakura mentioned, it had nothing to do with his sister Rukia. It was a recurring dream that, as of late, had become his errant, blissful escape, his therapy…but tonight it had turned into a bloody nightmare. A dream that had gripped him so, had garbled things up inside his mind—taught his heart how to love again. He didn't know how to explain it, but he just knew he had to go to Rukia and Ichigo.

The dream, it always started…

… _in a vast garden, the sky was the bluest shade and the sun warm and encouraging. The air was filled with the sweet, fresh fragrance of sakura blossom, which floated and swirled down in an endless dance from the surrounding forest of cherry trees._

_My inner world…_

_I held out a bare hand to capture one tiny pink petal in my palm—a fallen warrior. I believed that every petal falling to the ground is that of a fallen warrior's soul, that each petal exemplifies their honorable death. An honour displayed vibrantly in the spring for all eternity._

_Gently, I would admire the soft, silkiness of the petal with the pad of my thumb before letting it continue its devoted journey._

" _Byakuya"_

_That voice._

" _Byakuya"_

_A soft smile danced across my lips. At first I could only see a silhouette of the man speaking my name so daringly, sitting with his back against one of the trees. Inside I felt capricious, content…liberated! Still, my position would haunt me; nag at the back of my mind, reminding me that_ _I_ _was the representation of nobility, the head of the Kuchiki family. I had to act like it._

_My smile would fade._

" _Byakuya, why do you always look so unhappy…?" The image of the man materialized into Kurosaki Ichigo in his shinigami shihakusho. And he was just that now, a man, grown a few human years and was no longer boyish. I found him easy on the eyes._

_I narrowed the space between us, my bare feet pressing into moist green grass leaving dewy imprints in my wake. I would take a hushed moment to gaze down at the young man, who was looking up at me with such a curious, carefree expression. Wordless exchanges passed between us before I would take my place at the other side of the tree._

_It was as if we'd known each other for many millennia. Together, we would sit in this garden on opposite sides of this cherry tree silently, peacefully, until Ichigo broke it. He always was the first to break it…_

" _Byakuya, you're always so damn silent—it freaks me out. You don't fool me. I know there's a whole lot of shit going on inside that head of yours."_

_I would smile slyly again and give a small chuff._

_In this freedom, my lips moved, my thoughts pouring from me in soundless waves, my fears and desires…the deepest troubles of my soul. It would go from the present and tumble backwards into the past, the images going from vibrant to dull. I would speak of my duty as head of Kuchiki, the broken heart I harbored over my late wife, how I felt destined to never love again, the disgrace I continually felt I brought my family, and my adoptive sister, Rukia._

" _Why can't I hear you?"_

_For some reason Ichigo never heard this. It didn't matter if he could hear me or not. The lexis I gave freed me from the chains of my own restraint. I rest my head back against the trunk, looking up into the canopy of branches that was bursting with fresh blossoms._

_After many moments of quiet, easy reflection, Ichigo would come around to face me. This time it was my turn to look up at the tall, agile figure and his head of wild ginger hair in contrast to the brilliant pinks above. Ichigo's soft amber eyes brimmed with life and I stared at them enviously._

_Right here right now, I care about Ichigo more than anything. In this world I don't give a damn, I don't fear anything._

" _Don't look at me that way," the human shinigami chided and knelt down in front of me, "the only person at fault here is you. You've closed off your heart…you push people away so you won't get hurt again, but you only hurt others around you and yourself. I'll never hurt you, Byakuya. I know…this isn't easy for you and your position is important, I understand. If you want me to walk away…I will."_

_My face would become serious and I would appeal, "No…I don't want that."_

_Ichigo waved his hand flippantly, stared at me openly with tenderness, "Sometimes, I don't get all this noble shit or you."_

_I would give a small chuckle. "I admire your honesty."_

" _Honesty, eh? Then…let me kiss you," challenged Ichigo, a defiant smirk lifting one corner of his lips._

_I never gave a verbal retort and instead rose to his challenge, bringing my lips to his tenderly, willingly, as if kissing him gave meaning to my very existence. His lips, so soft and ripe, my body ached for his touch. It was always this slight edge that would cause Ichigo break away for a moment and gaze at me in the way my dear Hisana would, yet, his affections were more intense, raw. It felt so good I never wanted to wake up. Ichigo's hand came to rest at the side of my face, warming my cheek, his fingertips would trail along my jaw line, lifting my chin up so I would look at him._

" _Tell me the truth, Byakuya. Tell me what you want."_

" _I'm lonely," I would admit pathetically, loathing myself for allowing him to pry that from me and leaving my dignity in the dust._

" _There's that sad face again." Ichigo would lean over, his lips brushing against my ear and he would murmur affectionately to me, "You don't have to be alone anymore..."_

When Byakuya woke up, the strong noble, in the privacy of his bedroom would blush fiercely. He felt overwhelmingly embarrassed, mortified, like he had committed a colossal faux pas. When he first began having this dream he nearly heaved each time, his stomach twisting with the impossibility of it all, the very idea that he'd sunk so low. The  _very_  thought of loving someone like Ichigo Kurosaki was indeed, intimidating. Even for him. But he also came to realize he'd been fighting a losing battle, because over the past four years the dream repeated, more often lately, and each time growing more passionate and arousing…eventually he welcomed,  _yearned_  for the torrid escape. Byakuya knew as long as he kept it to himself it wasn't like anyone else could affirm his absolute insanity…except Senbonzakura...

Argh!

No matter how often Byakuya reminded his zanpakuto to stop invading his thoughts while he slept, the soul of his sword claimed he could not help himself…that his dreams were  _so_  interesting and beautiful. Senbonzakura delightfully offered Byakuya the freedom to peek into his dreams if he wished, claiming he had nothing to hide, but the noble insisted he would rather die.

For the first while the zanpakuto chuckled serenely at him about the dream with Ichigo, with aphorisms like, 'If you persist on having dreams like that master, I might begin to grow fond of Ichigo myself'. Then it changed to, 'I believe you're holding back…there is no shame in two men sharing each other's strength. We need one another', or even worse using absurd terms like, 'adorable' or 'romantic'.

The smitten fool…

Byakuya would sniff with distain, sometimes even in the middle of a captain's meeting. Once the Kuchiki noble even told the samurai to  _shut up_ , only realizing afterwards he'd hissed it out loud and caught the eye of every single captain of the Gotei 13, including Yamamoto-Genryusai, his captain commander, staring at him. He shut them out, closing his eyes but he could still feel their stares prickling on his skin.

He didn't think it was so 'adorable' back then, but things happened. Slowly he came to see just what kind of man Ichigo was over time…powerful in every single respect—powerful in strength, yes, but even more powerful in heart.

It's just as his grandfather said to him once,  _'Along with great power, one must have an even stronger heart.'_  Inadvertently, Ichigo helped him escape his disillusioned confine, awakened his senses once more, and warmed his heart. A heart that had been buried beneath ice, a heart he protected from ever feeling anything ever again.

Such an impossible task…who was he fooling?

However, he tried. He fought it without heart and got beat down. It was a humbling experience and a lesson he'd never forget. Ideals began to change after that battle, his purpose in life—a reminder of the kind of man he used to be and what his power really stood for.

One of those purposes was his sister, his pride. He could not hinder the adoring feeling of being Rukia's brother, how fierce he felt in protecting her. And how he'd let her down in so many ways... Guilt ate at him sometimes like the Hollow corrosion to a severed chain of fate. He'd become so blind by erroneous promises that he had nearly  _killed_  his own sister! Her direct resemblance to her sister, Hisana, reminded him each day of the love he lost. The hole in his chest, it was incredibly hard to bear at times. But time, as it were, began to numb and mend those wounds. And the melancholy, carried like the weight of Wabisuke, didn't weigh him down so much anymore, because there was Ichigo…

Storming into Soul Society like some kind of hero, all in order to save Rukia!

An admirable opponent indeed…

The Sixth Division Captain could hear Abarai Renji, his vice-captain, 'I think he beat some sense into you, Taicho! Err…I mean you really gave that punk an ass whoopin'!' *Thumbs up!*

Even though Renji never actually said that, it's how Byakuya would imagine him saying so.

There was just something about Ichigo that Byakuya could not hate. He wanted to. Everything would be easier then dwelling on things that could never, not even remotely be.  _Never._  Could it…? He knew Rukia was not amorously involved with Ichigo—let's just say he had his perceptive way of knowing. Besides, Byakuya always figured that Renji was the one sweet on his sister, although the man was sure taking his  _sweet_  time. No, Ichigo and Rukia were friends, good friends, perhaps best even…he was her other Kaien. He understood that. And it made him happy to see them together, also comforted knowing that Ichigo was there for Rukia when she got sent to the real world. At first though, he'd been unexplainably jealous, green with envy that he could not have what his sister did—a close friendship, an unbreakable bond with Ichigo. And he lashed out at Ichigo in undermining ways, making him feel like he didn't belong. Though now, his position made it so hard to act on his desires, daunting to step away from his shell and venture into new territory. It frustrated him endlessly.

The younger man was still a bit rough around the edges, kind of how he, himself used to be a century ago. It was a simple matter of growing up and realizing immaturity wasn't going to get him far. He cringed at the thought of what Ichigo really, truly thought of him sometimes. Byakuya had not made things easy for him and up to this day he kept his emergent feelings a secret. What gain could come of this? Ichigo would probably laugh hysterically at him for one.  _Him_  worried about rejection when so many eligible people were just dying to bestow their affections on him? Laughable indeed, but he could not be bothered with something so, so…nondescript.

Of course he had to want the one thing that seemed so impossible!

Sometimes, he positively had to resist the urge to corner Ichigo and simply have his way with him. That perhaps if he sated this lust that plagued him that he'd be free of Ichigo's spell. He imagined he could use a kido spell to tie up the human, rendering him helpless to achieve his goals—that haughty, possessive side of him rearing its ugly head in his mind. He had nothing against male adoration, not like he'd practiced any such affection with a man. His body yearned for Ichigo and Ichigo only. It made no sense.

However, he restrained.

He would honor his noble duties, try to lead by example, yes, but by  _no_  means would he dishonor his heart no matter who in the Kuchiki clan dared to bitch. On this matter he would not budge. Even if it meant he were to be alone for the rest of his days, so be it. Byakuya continued to regard Ichigo in his imperial way, trying to keep check of his emotions and distracting himself with his duties, but it proved difficult at times. Together, they'd managed to build a semblance of a friendship over the years, but it was hard to nurture when they were worlds apart. Still, he couldn't stop the way his heart became so alive each time Ichigo graced Soul Society with his presence, would it ever stop? Just another form of torment he had brought upon himself and had only himself to blame, yet again.

Once he had admitted to himself that he truly cared for the human shinigami, there was no going back. Ichigo had reaped  _his_  soul. He'd unknowingly become a part of his pride, too.

" _It is not such an impossible aspiration, Master. No one would judge you or your leadership, I believe you have already set those solid foundations,"_  infiltrated Senbonzakura's voice within Byakuya's mind.

Hrmph, what a comforting notion the noble thought sarcastically. "As you have mentioned  _many_  times before, Senbonzakura! But all that won't even matter if we don't hasten," the raven-haired shinigami reminded the sword hotly.

Usually, Byakuya kept his distance and admired from afar, but his instinct raged at him to go to Ichigo and Rukia now. The trigger of his instinct tonight was that transcendent dream opening a new chapter tonight, one that shook him to the core. It was the effect of the enchanted talisman, he was sure of it, which meant he really needed to listen to it and hurry! It meant he couldn't stand idly by and do nothing and  _nobody_  was going to get in his way!

Byakuya could still see the horrendous nightmare he escaped replaying behind his narrowed eyes…

… _the garden started out the same…my inner world. Ichigo was there._

" _You don't have to be alone anymore." I heard Ichigo say for the hundredth time._

 _Even as I dreamed I expected to feel myself ripped from this place, like usual, awaiting my eyes to flash open, expecting to feel the pang of my empty heart like I always did. Though, within a blink the surroundings changed. I was still in a dream state, but I wasn't in my inner world anymore. Instead I'm sitting on a window panel on the side of a tall dark building, a skyscraper. All around us are these_   _phlegmatic buildings and the sky is cerulean and big puffy clouds are moving in a direction that suggested I was defying gravity!_

_It gave me the sense of vertigo, it was startling...the place barren, soundless._

_I gazed upon Ichigo's handsome face which suddenly changed into that vizard Hollow mask, bone-white with those red trails emblazoned on it, skeletal bared teeth, two long, wicked forward-pointing horns, his crazed eyes piercing and yellow kind of like a reptiles'. The rest of him remained normal and hadn't taken on complete Hollow transformation. He began to breathe as if his lungs were full of water, and he pulled away from me and told me get away from him._

_But even in my dream I did no such thing. I will fully admit, Ichigo's Hollow is daunting, his power much greater than mine in this state, but Byakuya Kuchiki does not run with his tail between his legs._

" _Why have you transformed? What's the matter? Where am I?" I demanded._

_From under Ichigo's Hollow mask, blood trickled down his lean neck. I look on in horror, my hands plastered against the slick, hard glass beneath me, trying to find an unattainable grip suddenly. I watched the blood trail down his chest and disappear inside the V of his kosode._

_Then Ichigo released a horrible, Hollow-like scream, tearing his fingers along his throat as if he were being eaten alive._

_I sat there in shock, I reached for my sword but it wasn't there. Shit!_

_Then, I heard another voice…_

" _There's no escape, Ichigo," it drawled menacingly, ricocheting off the surrounding buildings, "It is time you left this world and let the course of existence naturally take its course. You are a thorn! I'm your ultimate opponent, your replacement, Ichigo. I've been waiting. Not even this prince here can save you now."_

_Just like that Ichigo's hollow mask cracked and crumbled, falling from his face in bits and leaving him looking perfectly normal. There was no more blood. Though, the substitute shinigami's eyes were anything but peaceful. Those eyes regarded me with a plea._

" _Byakuya!"_


	2. Byakuya's Gift

A gust of cool spring air blew into Ichigo's bedroom from the opened window carrying with it a lonely petal. It swirled this way and that, before gently landing on the crest of the young man's cheek.

Squinting against the harsh morning light, Ichigo groaned at being woken up. He felt lazy; he wanted to continue to sleep but was roused by the cool air sailing past his bed and lurking into the nooks of his sheets. Ignore it. Closing his eyes again, he almost drifted back into the world of slumber; however, he caught the flowery scent of something close to his nose. Huh? He reached up blindly and plucked the silky petal from his cheek. Cracking open one eye he looked listlessly at a cherry blossom.

He bolted upright. His first thought, "Byakuya!"

This time a gust of wind blew through the window angrily, hard enough to rattle the frame and hurl a whole handful of petals at him as if he was a guest on some wacky Japanese game show. Ichigo gasped, and still half asleep, tried to dodge the assailing petals. He scrambled and unceremoniously fell out of bed with a  _crash_ , dragging along with him his blanket and sheets.

"Nii-sama?" Rukia poked her head out from the closet, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

The orange-haired man's eyes widened. "What?  _Where?!_ "

In her yellow Chappy pajama's (a gift from Jushiro Ukitake, her captain of the thirteenth division), Rukia slipped out of the closet glancing down at Ichigo who lay sprawled in a pile of limbs and blankets.

"I don't know, I thought I heard his name," she said, perturbed, "Ichigo, why do you have to be so loud and disorderly?"

"I just thought…" He regarded the wayward petals, "ah…nevermind." Picking himself up, Ichigo chuffed and went over to the window and closed it, noticing the tree outside raining bouts of petals in the gusty spring morning.  _I'm such an idiot._  He fingered the charm that rest in the hollow of his collarbone attached to a black leather string thoughtfully for a moment, his face warmed with chagrin.

He turned to Rukia, feeling irritable.

"Oi! I'm tired of you guys just popping in and out of my window…I'm not a kid anymore a guy needs his privacy," Ichigo grumbled tossing his blankets into a pile on his bed.

Rukia merely waved her hand at him and headed for the door, she could smell Yuzu's cooking already! It smelled like pancakes. Yum! "Whatever, stop complaining like an adolescent then, Ichigo…just be thankful for all the things we do for you."

Ichigo gaped.  _"_ We? _"_  he repeated,  _"We?!"_  But she was already gone. Why did Rukia always say it like that? As if HE did nothing but ask for Soul Society's help, as if HE didn't attempt try to lead a human life on top of his shinigami life, as if HE was the cause of all the weird stuff that goes on…what about all the cool shit HE's done for them, huh?!  _Pfft…_

Suddenly there was a tiny, golden lion plushie in his face.

That's right. He was still living in his father's house, with his sisters, Rukia still liked to hang out in his closest when she was stationed in the real world, and he was twenty-one years old… _and I'm still talking to a fucking stuffed animal!_

"Don't talk to my nee-san that way!" Kon complained, shaking a rabid stuffed paw at him.

Ichigo slapped him aside indolently and pulled off his shirt. "You guys don't get it. I spend so much time fighting evil and protecting people I care about that…that I feel like my own life is passing me by. I don't even have a girlfriend, not like one would put up with all this shit. This place is like shinigami central, my father's weird old shinigami, I never have any privacy and it's starting to tick me off. I really need to get my own place, and then I could…"

"…lose your virginity—bring home a boyfriend—watch an X-rated movie," Kon supplied with an evil snicker. Nya. Nya. Nya.

Ichigo shrugged indifferently, half-listening, slipping a fresh white t-shirt over his head and then digging out a pair of jeans from his dresser. "What's wrong with that? _Wait!_  Was that supposed to be some kind of dig at me?! What you think I'm still a virg…a virg…" He couldn't get the word out…all he could do was fluster.

"You can't even say it!" Kon howled at him.

Ichigo reached out to grab the stuffed animal livened by a modified soul pill in hopes of silencing him once and for all. "What do you know about love and relationships anyways? I'm not a hound dog like you. When I feel something special for someone I'll just know it. That's what my mom used to tell me, anyways."

Kon cackled and dodged Orange Head, "You should see your face right now it's turning every shade of red! Nee-san! Nee-san! Bring your sketch book!"

Ichigo sniffed. "Get out of my way, Thing! I need to get to school. Oh, and give me that soul candy." He reached inside the plushie's mouth almost violently and took hold of a small green sphere, the substitute soul…he put it in his pocket.

* * *

Since Rukia had always followed Ichigo to school since the very beginning she went to his University, too. It wasn't like they had great attendance here either, especially herself, but it was seemed important to Ichigo to try to continue leading a normal human life, when he could. And many of his friends went there as well. Rukia enjoyed hanging out with Inoue and the girls at the library. She even got invited to the cafes and music halls, sometimes even Renji came along, her long time friend. Or it could be more if Renji just grew a pair and would fess up to her about how he felt…oh, she knew alright but patience is a virtue. Another asset was life itself, she willingly turned down a vice-captain position with the thirteenth division all in order to enjoy the life she already had. She was happy as a third seat and serving under Ukitake-taicho, he completely understood that and Rukia could spend more time doing things she enjoyed. She knew she had the skills to reach captain level one day, but that's not what she wanted. However, Renji was due for a promotion, he couldn't be a  _fukutaicho_  forever and he had ambition to reach the top. Once again the third division captain spot was vacant; the latest captain lasted a few years but recently reported to have given up the position all in order to become a potato farmer and live 'the good life'. People were fairly certain it had nothing to do with potatoes but rather the pretty woman he was going to be getting married to, and whose family owned a farm. Rukia thought she might put a good word in for Renji when she next spoke with her brother.

Still, the real world could be so much more fun than Soul Society. Here, there weren't so many rules and traditions, it was more laid back. But of course she couldn't hang out here all the time and she did take her shinigami responsibilities very seriously. Besides a few Hollows here and there…it had been fairly quiet in the last few months. No apocalyptic threats, no shinigami's gone wild, no rare variety of being determined to take over Soul Society.

Much too quiet…

As quiet as you can get since dealing with Bounts, Aizen, the arrancar, silly young nobles and the rebellious zanpakuto a few years ago, she thought. The list goes on and on… Actually, now that she thought about it, the peace was giving her an uneasy feeling.

"Rukia, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked with concern as they strolled down the sidewalk to the University, under the light of a sunny, but gusty day. "You have a strange look on your face. A hollow…?"

She set her deep blue eyes on Ichigo's, shrugging into her light cotton jacket against the brisk air, glad she wore knee-high boots with her dark skirt and forced an easy smile, "No, I was just hoping Mrs. Uesugi likes my essay. It's for our art appreciation class. She asked us to do an essay on someone that inspires us creatively and interview them. Haven't you done yours?"

"Not yet. Who did you choose?" Ichigo asked.

"Nii-sama," Rukia said proudly.

The substitute shinigami made a face, "I see _…_ And Byakuya approved of this?"

"Oh, yes. I even showed him the essay…he said it was 'a legit representation written with adequate penmanship'. He seemed to like it."

"I'm sure he did," Ichigo said smugly. He had clear recollections of Byakuya and Rukia's artistic abilities. Rukia had shown him once a collaborated picture story they'd concocted, just some silly story about a talking seaweed guy and nutrition. Yawn! What was so interesting about that?! He didn't get it. But he'd also gotten a kick in the head for his opinion—a.k.a Rukia Kuchiki. Sure, the man was a talented calligrapher; he'd seen examples, but his drawing subjects were…  _inter_ esting. How could such a superior man flaunt such childish depictions? Granted, the drawings were cute, like Rukia's…but they seemed drawn by kids. Though, Ichigo was certain Byakuya didn't intend to have this work perceived as such.

Ichigo merely shook his head, grinning. It was bewildering. Byakuya sure was an enigma. And there was another mystery. It was always puzzling as to why Rukia continued with school in the real world.

He wondered out loud. "Why do you continue to take classes when you might not even graduate them, or hell, really, why bother?"

Rukia gave him stank eye. "Considering the business we're in you might not graduate either. But if you must know," she shrugged, "I enjoy it."

Ichigo contemplated what she'd said. It's true, he could die being a substitute shinigami, but then he could die just as easily without ever being a substitute shinigami—of course the first part being way more dangerous. "I guess," he muttered.

"So why do  _you_  bother continuing school…is it necessary?" she questioned, "You could probably take the captain's exam and pass easily, you know you could."

"Well," he scratched his head in thought, "what else am I supposed to do? I guess I gotta continue living a human life. My family is here… I know I could be a captain, but I dunno if that's what I should do, or if that's what I want. I mean, I like it there, but it doesn't seem that much different than the real world." Ichigo placed his arms behind his head casually, "Except that you're all way behind in the times, sort of." Soul Society had this unique mix of modern technology and old traditional customs, Ichigo never knew what to make of that sometimes.

"That doesn't explain why you go to school," Rukia reminded him dryly, feeling slightly offended for Soul Society.

"I guess I always figured I'd get into something that helped people while I'm here…"

"A family doctor like your father…?"

"I wouldn't do anything that moron does!" Ichigo exclaimed. In fact Ichigo long knew about his father and his past. He was an ex-shinigami born in Soul Society a very long time ago. All that his father told him about his past was that he'd come from noble blood, was part of the Royal Guard once but defected because of his mother, Masaki. He explained how he'd used a special gigai to change him into a human and be able to produce children, and how eventually, a few years ago, his powers came back. But his father also explained that the past was the past and it should remain there. That he didn't want to influence his children's upbringing by tainting it with things that should be kept in the past. He wanted them to live a normal life. Isshin told him to live his life however way it was destined to be for him, that whatever path he chose he'd always be on his side. That's what he said. At first Ichigo was utterly shocked, he could remember the feeling as if it were yesterday, but eventually it wore off. In the end he realized that it explained a lot about, who he was and why he was so powerful. Knowing that alone made it easier for Ichigo to accept himself for who he was and to feel proud to be his father's son.

But that didn't mean his father still wasn't weird. Ichigo added more calmly, "No, I always thought I would help people, maybe young people…kind of like a counselor or something. I think it would make my mom proud."

"She would be proud of you no matter what. You can't protect everybody all the time, Ichigo," Rukia reminded him.

"But I can try," he replied and flashed a cocky grin.

Rukia scoffed and looked at her watch, "We should hurry or we'll be late!"

They raced off to their respective classes.

Later on in psychology, Ichigo sat looking bored out of his mind. Too bad, Rukia wasn't in this class; they could get into a real game of hangman to kill the time. But right now she was in literature. Currently, the professor was rattling on about personal and interpersonal functions across a lifespan, focusing on social standards. Ichigo yawned widely and dug in his ear.

"Mr. Kurosaki!" rang the professor.

Ichigo's head darted up as a piece of chalk whizzed pass his ear. He balked at the intense glare Mr. Nakano was casting him over rimless spectacles. The part-time shinigami wondered how such a tiny old man could appear so frightening.

"Sir…?"

There was snickering and rustling of students who were entertained by this on a recurring basis. Everyone in Ichigo's classes knew that at some point in the day something goofy was to be expected. Weird people showing up looking for him, or sudden dashes from the room, talking to himself at times…he even seemed to change personalities at the drop of a hat once in awhile.

"I'll repeat myself. What are the five stages for natural development of human relations?"

Ichigo fully ignored his classmates and put a finger to his chin and thought. Oh, yes! He answered clearly, "Acquaintance, Buildup, Continuation, Deterioration, and or, Termination."

The professor blinked in surprise, "Um…yes, yes, err…very good."

The man seemed to sniff in his direction before he continued his lecture and Ichigo returned to his zoned out state. No matter how many times he tried to catch Ichigo in a position of unknown, he failed. Ichigo might not appear brilliant, but he was farthest from stupid. Why did the professor even bother? He was an avid studier and very intelligent.

Ichigo fiddled with the charm at his throat again, doing so more often than he realized.

"Kurosaki-kun," Inoue Orihime whispered from her seat beside him, "I'm glad you got the answer right."

Ichigo glanced over at the fellow redhead, and his friend, his comrade—he was glad he wasn't alone in this miserable class. She wasn't a very good hangman partner though, but she looked as happy as she did any other day in a soft yellow dress, still wearing her Shun Shun Rikka hairpins. Inoue was becoming a fine looking young woman; it's too bad he couldn't return the affections she seemed to have for him. It wasn't like he didn't notice eventually, guys might take awhile to figure these things out, but he did. But it seemed as if she'd come to accept that he wasn't going to change his mind, so she simply remained a close friend.

He sighed with relief, "So am I."

Her eyes darted to his throat where a round, pewter-coloured charm rest. It was simple in design, depicting a somewhat rough portrayal of a rooting leafless tree.

"Where'd you get that charm?" The crests of her cheeks turned pink abruptly and she mumbled, "Oh, I'm so sorry…I'm being nosy. It's just…you've been wearing it for a long time and you never take it off. I always wondered…I mean it suits you."

"Oh, it was a gift from Rukia's brother. He told me it was a protection talisman and that he wanted to show his gratitude for all my hard work over the years. Up to this day I can hardly believe he did that," Ichigo murmured, chuckling softly, the tempo of his heartbeat suddenly picking up a notch.

"Wow…"

"I know," Ichigo agreed incredulously, remembering that day.

Rukia had come to him about a year ago saying that her brother wished to speak to him and that he was also invited to stay for dinner at the Kuchiki manor. It had to be business, right? Why else would Byakuya summon for him? And for some reason he'd been really nervous about it. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but whenever he was around her brother he felt all kinds of stupid. Though, it wasn't the first time he'd been in the Kuchiki manor or on the grounds, or ate a meal there, but only by Rukia's invites. Sometimes Byakuya joined them and sometimes he didn't.

Most of the time her brother was scarcely seen, but that was until after this meeting…

_Ichigo was ready for business in his custom black shinigami uniform, slipper-covered feet tucked under his legs. He was in a large empty room, gold and soft green colours, a pretty landscape mural on the wall behind him, all sliding-doors closed. Only the midday sun warmed the space filtered by the large screens. When Byakuya entered the room and joined him, kneeling in seiza fashion across from him on his own kneeling pad, Ichigo's eye brows rose slightly._

_He wasn't sure what to make of this visit when he saw Byakuya out of his captain uniform, but sat there poised in a casual soft blue kimono, kenseikan neatly set in his raven hair, hands resting on his thighs, and eyes closed for a painstakingly long time. He almost appeared to be in deep meditation. Ichigo found it hard to take his eyes off the man—Byakuya didn't seem dressed for business._

_There was a prickly silence._

_Ichigo forced himself not to scratch his head, dig under his nails or fidget too much. What could the noble want? Was he going to give him shit for getting Renji drunk the other night? They were just having fun. Or, maybe he had committed a Soul Society crime and Byakuya was taking the pleasure of being the first to tell him that he was hereby sentenced to an execution? Nah, that couldn't be it, Ichigo couldn't imagine what it was. Or perhaps was he still going to go on about his prefixes and suffixes after all this time?_

" _Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya started in his banausic way, eyes opening. "I—"_

" _I know, I know…" Ichigo waved his hand flippantly and droned, "You want me to stop calling you—"_

"— _I_ have _something for you," Byakuya cut back in curtly, pinning Ichigo down with a haughty glare. "I am past the honorifics...just so you know. I believe enough time has transpired between us to continue the folly of being so formal."_

_Ichigo blinked. He had not expected that and actually exhaled with some relief. "Sure, then that means you can stop calling me Kurosaki Ichigo," he teased trying his best to copy the measured baritone manner in which Byakuya usually said his name._

_No response, not even a twitch._

_Ichigo chuckled uneasily, tough audience. "That didn't tickle you at all, huh?" He sighed. "Anyways, you said you have something for me? Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."_

_From inside the folds of his clothing, Byakuya produced a charm on a soft leather sting. Leaning over slightly, he held it out to Ichigo on both palms of his hands, head slightly bowed. "It is a protection talisman and my gesture of appreciation to you…for everything you've done and will continue to do. Please, accept it."_

_Suddenly feeling all modest now, Ichigo professed, "Ah, you don't have to do that…I…I don't mind helping out." He stared at the man in front of him, a man he never in his life thought he'd see bowing, even in the slightest, in front of him. It was so hard to believe, so out of Byakuya's character that Ichigo felt beside himself. Or the fact that he truly didn't know the noble all that well, outside of fighting and Soul Society business, allowed him to only make assumptions of Byakuya's genuine disposition. Maybe he really didn't know the man at all…_

_Or maybe Byakuya simply had a twisted sense of humour and was pulling a fast one on him right now. That HAD to be it. But…the man still held his submissive position with his hands out, waiting patiently for him to take the offering._

_He wasn't joking._

_Ichigo didn't want to seem ungrateful so he reached out and picked up the protection talisman, noticing first how surprisingly warm the metal charm felt in his palm, heated by Byakuya's body. Ichigo felt his own heat rise to his cheeks and he dropped the charm which clattered to the floor noisily. His face burned even hotter then and his reiatsu surged._

" _I'm so sorry, shit…man, I'm sorry," he muttered idiotically, feeling like such a tard. He forced himself to calm down and picked up the charm again and studied it. He brushed a thumb over the pewter carved tree, encircled by a ring of muted silver. It was hard to admit, but Ichigo knew he'd always sought out Byakuya's approval and his acknowledgement to some degree. In many ways he looked up to the more experienced shinigami. His power was the result of decades of training and hard resolve, admirable qualities. Yet, Ichigo had gained equal strength in such a short time, and he beat this man in battle, fought with him en par. He never really wanted to butt heads with Byakuya in the first place and it had taken a long time to even begin to understand where he was coming from. Though, he now knew that the noble's outlook on life had been twisted into something ugly by forces even beyond the noble's control…and it was slowly unraveling, it took a few years, but Ichigo could sense a huge difference in this man._

_He looked on at the Captain of the Sixth with genuine warmth._

_His heart felt lighter._

" _This is kind of cool, fashionable too…not like I care about that sorta thing. That's more Ishida's hobby," Ichigo rambled on and quickly realized what he was doing. He bowed deeply to Kuchiki heir, the twenty-eighth head of his clan and expressed genuinely, "Thank you, Byakuya."_

" _It's nothing…Ichigo."_

_Heh, he'd said his first name and first name alone… Exhaling in relief once again, Ichigo leveled his eyes on Byakuya and for an instant, thought he'd caught a look of something nameless in the other man's eyes. But it was gone as fast as it came. Curious, Ichigo tried to sample Byakuya's reiatsu to see if he could feel anything from the noble but to no avail, the man hid it masterfully._

_The substitute shinigami looked on thoughtfully, "So where did you get this? Does it really work?"_

" _It doesn't matter where it came from," the noble replied, "And yes, it works. It will stay on you in human or shinigami form."_

_Ichigo went to put on the charm…_

" _Do you require assistance?" Byakuya offered quietly._

_Not wanting to risk another blush fest—not quite sure why Byakuya made him do that in the first place—Ichigo declined the offer, "Heh, thanks but you've already done enough for me."_

_The noble just watched him patiently._

_He struggled a little bit but it didn't take too long to get the charm on. When he was done he sat up straight, feeling a little cocky now, more relaxed. Byakuya had openly accepted him after all this time and Ichigo felt truly honoured._

_It was as if the dynamics of their relationship changed like the shifting of the wind just then._

" _I'm glad we could put aside our differences once for all and hang out like this…I have to admit at first I was worried," Ichigo divulged, chuckling softly._

" _Why?" Byakuya rest his eyes in what appeared, peaceful patience again._

_Ichigo hummed and hawed, "Well…we haven't exactly…gotten off on the right foot. You always seem to be avoiding me." And the fact that at one time Ichigo imagined that Byakuya would sneak up on him late in the night and slit his throat with Senbonzakura. "I always thought you despised me."_

" _Despise is a strong word, Ichigo."_

" _I guess. And just so you know, I never despised you. I just…can't understand you sometimes. You have more than most men, and yet you never seem happy," Ichigo boldly claimed._

_Cool grey eyes opened then and leveled on Ichigo's, hard and unwavering._

_The intensity in those eyes set Ichigo back and yet again his spiritual energy flared up. He clamped his jaw shut and broke the eye contact. Maybe he stepped over the line._

" _I'm sorry," Ichigo said earnestly, understanding Byakuya could never just forget his losses. He could not either, but he learned to continue to live with it, had learned that pushing people away only hurt them more than it hurt himself and he believed Byakuya would discover this, too, someday._

" _Heh," the noble sounded, "What do you care about my happiness?"_

_The man from the real world returned his gaze to Byakuya's sternly. "I care because I consider you a friend…I care because I want to."_

" _I see," Byakuya replied softly as if pondering that statement. He then asked out of the blue, effectively changing the subject, "Are you hungry? I would imagine dinner is nearing, Rukia is waiting for us. Let us go and reassure her that I have not made an attempt on your life."_

_Ichigo chuckled. Boy, wouldn't Rukia be surprised when he showed her this charm. Ichigo grinned broadly at the noble, "I'm starving, now that you mention it…thanks for inviting me…" he trailed off then added thoughtfully, touching the charm at his throat gently, "I wish I had something to give to you in return."_

_Byakuya visually rejected the idea with a mild frown, "That is not is not necessary. You have already given me enough."_

_He had? Ichigo scratched his head._

_Byakuya pushed himself up and stood, looking grateful to be moving out of that kneeling position._

_Ichigo scrambled to his feet and stretched with a content growl, the notches in his spine popping pleasantly. He realized something as they headed out of the room. Tagging after Byakuya, he claimed, "Hey, we made it through an entire discussion without any strange interruptions."_

_Yes, no pink-haired little lieutenants. "We should be thankful for small miracles," Byakuya quipped evenly._

_For the first time ever Ichigo laughed at a joke Byakuya made._

Ichigo shook his head thoughtfully and told Inoue, "I guess he's not such a bad guy…he's just misunderstood. Oh hey! They make great food at his place, you know. I bet you would like it. Though, sometimes I get lost inside that manor…so many rooms. It's like a maze." He twirled his pen between his fingers. "I try and stop in and see Byakuya whenever I go to Soul Society, but he doesn't say much, we talk about shinigami stuff...sometimes, I can't figure out if I just annoy him or if he doesn't care either way, but he always makes me tea..." Ichigo trailed off and thought to himself. If there was one thing he would really like from Byakuya, it would be to hear him laugh. Just once that's all he'd ask for.

"I guess being all noble and shit makes people cranky." Ichigo didn't really understand the cranky noble stuff that well. "Meh, I'm glad I'm just a regular guy."

"I'm glad you are, too," Inoue said gently, then her eyes sparkled, "But wouldn't it be fun being a princess and kissing all the frogs from your very own pond. Then they would change into handsome princes and knights. And their eyes could shoot laser beams and they would use them to protect me."

Ichigo's left eye twitched.

The murmuring of students in the class caught Inoue's attention. She looked at the clock on the wall, "Yay! It's almost lunch time!"

As if on cue her tummy growled.

Unbeknownst to Ichigo, the charm at his neck began glowing with a dull pink radiance.

" _Ichigo"_

Huh? Did someone call his name? Ichigo frowned and glanced around the lecture hall.

" _Come outside and play, Ichigo…"_

"Who's there?!" Ichigo hollered suddenly, causing a few people around them to startle.

" _There's no escape, Kurosaki Ichigo… It is time you left this world and let the course of existence naturally take its course. You are a thorn! I'm your ultimate opponent, your replacement. I've been waiting. Not even this prince here can save you now."_

Prince?

Everyone in class turned to stare at him and began snickering. "Kurosaki-kun, it's not good to 'talk' to yourself in here," Inoue reminded him.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed under his breath, popping the soul candy that contained a modified soul, into his mouth. Simultaneously, his shinigami form peeled away from his body, leaving Kon inside his body in his place.

Ichigo scrambled out of the classroom.

"Weee! University," Kon cheered, winking at the cute blonde three rows down. "You," he pointed to her, "Me," he pointed at himself, and then animated a hip-thrusting gesture much to her disgust.

* * *

Now clad in his customary black shinigami attire, tied at the waist with a white sash, and a fettered red sword strap across his chest, Ichigo rushed out of the school compound with his huge tethered sword in  _shikai_  form on his back. He didn't have to call forth this attack form for his zanpakuto as it always took on this form by itself. He stood on the lawn in front of the administration building looking around.

"Ichigo!" called Rukia, who raced towards him in her own soul reaper garb, her zanpakuto resting on her hip.

She caught up with Ichigo, catching her breath. "Inoue told me you'd run out of class. What's going on? How come there's no indication of a spirit signature on my hand-held?" she quizzed as she fumbled with the flip-phone device.

"Dunno, but someone was talking to me in my head," Ichigo assured a frown set permanently on his face.

Hysterical laughter rang inside his mind.  _"That's right, Kurosaki Ichigo…follow my voice. Come to me."_

Rukia shook her device around with irritation, oblivious to the voice that spoke to him.

"Didn't you hear that?" Ichigo inquired, pushing a sandaled foot off the ground and flew up into the air to get a better look around. Rukia followed suit.

"Hear what? What is it?" she demanded sternly.

Scanning over the expanse of Karakura Town, Ichigo whipped his head from side to side, searching. He saw nothing and only heard and felt the wind rustling his clothes and hair.

"Let's move away from the school," he ordered.

They sailed through the sky, moving towards a less structured area with more trees and open space below. Whatever trouble called, they didn't want innocent people to be injured and wanted to keep damage to property minimal.

" _Don't worry I'm not after your precious town, Ichigo. Only you!"_

"Who are you?!" yelled Ichigo, drawing his heavy looking sword to the front, tethers flying away at ease.

"Your worst nightmare!"

The voice was booming and wild—mad. Ichigo spun around trying to locate the spiritual pressure to at least pinpoint the entity's location. No avail! He couldn't sense it anywhere!

"I'm here and I'm there, loser!  _I'm in your head,_  I'm everywhere!" Laughter. "Oh, how I have waited for this, to have the glory to fight you myself…the all powerful Kurosaki Ichigo, I'll be a true warrior. You're not the only one, Ichigo! You're not the only one with special powers!"

"Ichigo, I can hear it," Rukia said abruptly, "I can sense a strange reiatsu coming from that direction." She pointed northwest.

Immediately, Ichigo raced off in that direction, sword gripped in both hands and protecting his front.

" _HA! Close, yet, sooo far away,"_  the voice taunted.  _"I gave you a small taste of my power, Ichigo. Did you feel it? But you shouldn't have left her unprotected, dumbass!"_

Just then Rukia gasped as she was grabbed by an invisible force, hoisted up by her neck. In one fluid motion she grabbed the hilt of her sword and swung out in front of her fiercely, slicing the air.

" _You're swinging at the wrong side, bitch!"_

And with a force they had yet to decipher, Rukia was cast down towards Karakura Town at a speed so fast Ichigo barely had time to see it.

" _I'm not here to fight her, so she had to take a flying leap!"_  The entity released another uproarious laugh.

Ichigo cried, "Rukia!"


	3. Zero

" _Ichigo…"_

It was the voice of his zanpakuto, a tall, older man who appeared as a mysterious figure with long, dark untamed hair, wearing cool sunglasses and a lengthy flowing black coat, Zangetsu. "Your inner world has been infiltrated by two sources, I can't detect one of them any longer it was very brief, but another unknown source still lingers. I believe it has something to do with this foe. I do not know how this could have occurred. Please, tread carefully."

How was that possible? He hadn't come across an enemy with such a power since Muramasa. Was this a rogue Zanpakuto?

"Same to you, old man," Ichigo urged the sword soul that resided inside his inner world.

Ichigo didn't have time to mull over this information as he soared after Rukia. Then all of a sudden, he was stopped forcibly in midair, sharply. He hung there suspended as pain seared throughout his entire body, it felt as if he'd been grabbed by the spine and yanked to a halt. Squeezing his eyes shut, teeth gritted, Ichigo released sounds of distress.

" _You're not getting away from me. I've been watching, waiting patiently for this moment, building my strength. I thought I was all alone in the world, but then you came along, Kurosaki Ichigo."_

Gripped by unbearable pain, Ichigo clung onto a tiny thread of strength and consciousness, "Show yourself asshole!"

" _So impatient, is that how you feel about death as well? Not to worry, that will come…I'll make you beg for it. But first I want to express how extraordinary it is that you were able to gain such awesome power in so little time. Why? What makes you so damn special? I had to wait so many years, so many endless years in that dark hole of a place… Have you ever wondered what a soul tastes like? It's delicious."_

"RUKIA!" Ichigo screamed.

"Argh! How dare you ignore me!" screamed his attacker, his voice clearly heard outside of Ichigo's mind.

Before Ichigo's eyes a tall, slender man materialized; his strong reiatsu clearly noticeable now. Elegant were his features, pale skin and piercing eyes, each a different colour. One was icy blue while the other a deep crimson. They were right up in his face, Ichigo could smell the man's' hot breath, could see the hate in his stare. His clothing was black, all black, even the leather gloves on his hands, which creaked and popped as he fisted them, as if by some kind of power he was crushing Ichigo's insides without actually touching him. He wore a long black coat, slim fitting with long, tapered sleeves. His most striking feature was the black fedora with a pearly white band on his head—under which gleamed a head of golden blonde hair, all done in a very long braid that reached to the back of his knees.

He was unlike any enemy Ichigo had ever met.

Riding the waves of pain, Ichigo clutched the hilt of his sword, which dangled at his side helplessly. "I don't know why you're doing this to me but you've picked the wrong guy to mess with."

"Oh-ho-ho. Is that so, Kurosaki Ichigo? Certainly you're not in the position to make such an audacious statement. Not even your zanpakuto or your stupid Hollow can save you…they've been, shall we say, detained," claimed the man grinning cruelly at him.

This news registered in Ichigo's eyes which immediately flew open in shock. What did he mean?! This guy was the reason Zangetsu felt a presence inside his inner world. Ugh! The pain inside of him was blinding, he could hardly stand it! Without warning he spat up blood which spattered past his lips and dribbled down his chin and neck, his breath became labored.

"Zangetsu!" the substitute soul reaper pleaded dreadfully. He couldn't even produce his bankai; he couldn't understand why…he was going to die like this!

" _Ichigo! I'm being confronted by the same man you're facing,"_  grunted Zangetsu, breath heavy, it sounded as if he was caught in the middle of a battle.

The cruel grinning face of his assailant grinned even broader, sadistically. "It would seem you two figured it out somewhat, Ichigo. Yes, this is my power! I can enter inner worlds at will, produce a twin of my soul and conquer anyone from the inside out. It also grants me the ability to connect invisible hooks into your being and do to you whatever damage I wish. It renders you powerless. No one can defeat me!

* * *

Byakuya arrived just in time to catch Rukia in his arms before she hit the ground. She clung to him; her face cowered in his shoulder, hands filled with angry fistfuls of his clothes.

"What kind of monster are you?!" she demanded beating her fists on a hard chest, obviously thinking she was still being taunted by the person that had thrown her. Feeling helpless with the loss of her sword, she began to wriggle out of the hold ferociously.

"Rukia," Byakuya said patiently, watching her carefully.

Rukia abruptly stopped moving and snapped her head up, black strands of hair scattered across her dark blue eyes. She stared at the face of the person that held her. Her eyes flew open. "Nii-sama!" She let go of her brother's clothes immediately. "Wha…wha…what are you doing here?"

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes..."

"Please, just stay here," Byakuya ordered with a hint of a plea in his voice and set Rukia on the grass gently, then he flash-stepped out of sight.

High up in the sky, Byakuya sensed Ichigo's wavering spirit energy all while still hiding his own. He didn't want the enemy to know he was coming. By now he felt another reiatsu, powerful, foreign…also very unstable, an ominous pressure…part human. In seconds he appeared yards away at the rear of the man fitted all in black, Senbonzakura at the ready. He briefly caught Ichigo's bloodied face and his body which seemed hung in suspension against his will by some unknown force. Great pain seared across the substitute's face, his torment made Byakuya's insides twist with alarm and geared his determination to stop this.

"Scatter"

Before the enemy could react, the sword held before Byakuya's face began to dissolve into a thousand tiny blades deceivingly resembling delicate, pink sakura petals. The blades chased after the man that held Ichigo from a secure distance.

"Huh?" went the assailant, sensing this newcomer too late, and turned around just in time to get a face full of blades. They sliced and grazed, embedded into his flesh in a flurrying, but controlled dance. His cries were drowned quickly.

Ichigo's body was released from the invisible hold and the substitute soul reaper gasped for breath, clutching at his chest with a strangled grasp. He stood his ground on weak knees and unsteady feet, looking beyond.

"Byakuya…?" he breathed incredulously. It appeared to be so, but at first Ichigo wasn't sure, because even in pain he was astonished to see that it was him without his noble and regimental garb. Man, was he sure a sight for sore eyes. Ichigo was wracked by a series of painful coughs, agony searing across his middle like fire, it was as if a battle had raged inside of him. More blood spattered past his lips, he fell to his knees, holding himself up with one fist, using whatever strength he had not to fall through the sky and plummet to the ground. It made Ichigo angry and he tried to feed on that anger—producing a wicked blood-covered grin.

His reiatsu billowed around him in waves.

"Ban _kai!_ "

Stepping out from the cloud of transformation, Ichigo stood now in his sleek black setup, his injuries nullified for the moment. The jagged black and white hem of his long coat was sailing on the breeze as he gripped his now long onyx-coloured sword and exclaimed, "Byakuya, glad you could make it my friend! This guy is really starting to piss me off—I really need your help, let's kick his ass!"

But neither Byakuya nor Ichigo had the chance when a roaring sound emerged from within the petal cloud and dispersed the blades away from him. The enemy growled angrily, now donning a Hollow-like mask similar to Ichigo's. He carried two, long slim katanas, one in each hand, hands that had now become monstrous, gnarly protrusions—boney with sharp, pointy claws. Gone was his hat and his long, blonde braided hair was now spiky and short. The full-faced mask bared two thick heinous, curling horns that sprout from his forehead resembling a ram's. There was a jagged dark blue slash from the corner of his left eye across his nose and down over his right cheek. The mouth space revealed a set of clenched teeth, white and long—fierce looking. His clothing was now but a shred of tattered material hanging off of him, the man's dark, grayish skin exposed and revealing corded muscle. The legs of his black pants were unevenly set, one leg still long and the other short and ripped at the knee. And his feet resembled his hands, long and bony with a small claw extruding from the back of his ankle.

The creature began to inhale loudly drawing the razor bits of sword in front of his face and blew, sending them flying back at the noble shinigami who had interrupted his madness.

Byakuya promptly ordered all the blades to stop before him and they fell listlessly into a pile again. His eyes revealed distinct alarm at this new powerful display. No one should be able to control his  _shikai_  but him.

"What do you want?" Byakuya questioned the still nameless entity.

"Well, well, if it isn't the  _prince_ ," the man sneered seemingly unaffected by the captain's attack just now and able to hold a conversation while in Hollow form, "Welcome back."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed dangerously and he tossed Ichigo a fleeting glance, but the human shinigami didn't seem to catch what this guy just said. It could only mean that this voice  _was_  the same one he heard only a short time ago whilst asleep.

"Your trivial attack sliced me up a bit but as you can see it's not enough to stop me," informed the beast, blood oozing from paper cut like wounds at his neck and chest. He sighed impatiently now, "Just go away thorn so I can finish what I came to do. I don't wish to fight you."

"I cannot do that," Byakuya stated with dark assurance, tension in the air palpable.

Ichigo flash-stepped a few yards from Byakuya's right side so that they were both facing this foe head on. "Are you a vizard?!" he demanded, "Are those zanpakuto?"

"What is this,  _twenty questions?"_  jeered their adversary. "If you must know, I call myself Zero. Suits me well since, I am nobody and  _your_  worst nightmare, Kurosaki Ichigo." The quasi-man held up his pair of distinguished katana, "These  _are_  my zanpakuto, yes. Lovely aren't they? 'Bout as lovely as the shinigami that gave them to me..." Zero broke into a fit of crazed laughter and tapped the blunt edge of his sword on the side of one of his ram horns, "But, eventually, I showed him  _this_ , this mask…a Hollow! I could hardly believe it myself! I didn't know it then but he only made me stronger and they never could get me! But I found him! HA HA! How could he care for  _this?_ Stupid shinigami, I fought him and ended his miserable life, well almost; I ate his soul like an udon noodle! HA HA! Pathetic loser!"

"You bastard!" shouted Ichigo in disgusted fury.

Zero only scoffed.

"That still doesn't explain what your goals here are," Byakuya claimed coolly.

"For  _him_  to die!" Zero cried immediately, pointing one of his swords at Ichigo. "All I want is for you to die! There cannot be two of us and not even this shinigami here can stop me!" raged the Hollow.

It all happened so fast, like winking flits of shunpo…

Zero once more infiltrated Ichigo's inner world, a world surrounded by cold, tall buildings whilst still appearing before them and in a blaze of Hollow fury high above Karakura Town. His blue reiatsu flared savagely around him. Yet, inside the stoic world of buildings, Zero was in soul reaper form, although he was still in his black attire and fedora. He smiled banally at a battle-ridden Zangetsu and Ichigo's haughty inner hollow and released an enormous explosion before anything, or anyone could stop him. Ichigo didn't even have the chance to bring out his own Hollow.

" _Ichigo!"_  cried Zangetsu.

" _You're so pathetic,"_  declared the horse to his 'so-called' king,  _"You better not die...I fucking swear if you do…"_

In that instant it felt like Ichigo's body was being torn apart from the inside as Zero's blades slid into dense flesh on the outside. Ichigo's world faded before his eyes.

All was still…

Zero began to scowl deeply when he realized where his blades came to rest.

"Why?! What  _is_ your problem?!" he raged one red and blue eye glaring from the narrow slits in his mask.

Byakuya looked up into those mad eyes severely, one hand gripping one of the blades that had pierced him through. The cold steel sliced into the tender flesh of his palm, but his own resolve could not be wavered, he could not feel this pain. Breath rushed passed his parted lips and he glanced down at the pair of katana plunged through his midsection—movement caught his eye. He pointed one bloody finger downwards.

"Way of Binding number sixty-one: Six Rod Prison of Light"

Six wide, flat rods of thin yellow light caught Ichigo at the midsection and held him in place, prevented him from crashing to the earth. The younger shinigami was limp, head and arms haphazardly lying over one yellow bar. The noble felt Ichigo's spirit fading quickly, he had to end this swiftly! Grey eyes, full of fortitude flashed perilously back to Zero.

Byakuya shoved himself off the swords by sheer will, putting space between Zero and himself and immediately dropped his sword...

"Bankai"

"Stubborn as a mule aren't you?! You just don't get it! Drop your sword all you want! I won't show you any mercy!" mocked the monster called Zero. "I can enter your world, too!"

"This is not my display of forfeit you mindless waste. I will not give you the chance to enter my world," Byakuya warned as the sword dipped into an invisible pool and disappeared, ripples giving the only hint of movement at his feet. The sky darkened and two rows of gigantic swords rose up on either side from where he stood and simultaneously burst into countless slivers of pink petal-like blades.

"Senkei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi"

The petals formed all around them into pink, radiating swords. Zero looked up at them awestruck, four rows high they went encircling them and caging him inside. With a maneuver he rarely used, Byakuya ruthlessly ordered half a dozen swords to rain down upon this bloodthirsty opponent before his inner world control found a way inside of him—there was no time to waste. Three blades met their target with satisfying violence, spattering Zero's blood. The vibrant pink swords stuck out of the enemy like pins in a cushion. One sword stuck out of his gut, another through his left shoulder and the third straight through the meat of his right thigh. Zero stumbled back and cursed and screamed, but he refused to fall.

"Fucking prince! Do you think this is over? Damn it! You can't interfere, I waited too long for this…you can't steal this from me—bastard! You're going to pay for getting in my way!"

The Gotei captain scowled at the constant 'prince' epithet. Byakuya clasped another sword in his hand masterfully and rushed at the man while he was distracted with his tiresome rant. With Zero's death wish displayed within his eyes he swung and severed his left arm off completely. The beast crashed at last.

Zero howled in pain.

"My  _name_  is Kuchiki Byakuya," he explained over the hollering calmly, "Captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei Thirteen in Soul Society." The noble held himself proudly and cast the monster who was still pierced with his swords an icy glare, as if daring him to get back up once more and fight.

"Why do you care, shinigami?! This is my fight!" hissed Zero.

"Why? Because…you chose to target my pride," Byakuya explained apathetically. With a well-trained maneuver he was suddenly on the other side of Zero, believing he'd handed down an inexorable final strike, only…Zero's body had vanished before his sword met its target, the reiatsu gone with it.

" _You can't always be there to protect him, prince! My chance will come…I'll rub you out! HAHAHA!"_

Byakuya sighed and lowered his sword a fraction, he was still on his guard. That mongrel was definitely the voice he heard inside of that nightmare, which Byakuya now knew was a merger of a nightmare and a warning, a prediction. For a brief moment the protection charm allowed him entry into Ichigo's inner world while he was still asleep in Soul Society, when Zero first initiated contact and gave him a glimpse of events to come. Zero must have been able to recognize his spirit energy.

It was daunting how powerful that talisman he gave Ichigo was.

And this wasn't over…

Producing a disturbed sound and completely ignoring his injuries, Byakuya rushed over to Ichigo. Releasing the rods of light, Byakuya caught the unconscious shinigami gently in his arms. He gazed down at the injured man and shut his eyes in real ache and anger, emotions he indulged in while momentarily alone. Flashes of dismal memories rose to the surface and Byakuya resisted the urge to embrace Ichigo close to him worrying that he would harm the younger man further by doing so.

He wished he could scream! But…it never came out.

It was not the time. It was  _never_  the right time or right place! Frustrated, he directed his sights on the talisman at Ichigo's neck and thanked everything that was sacred that it had called to him. That it had worked the way it was supposed to and maybe even more.

"Hang on, Ichigo. Stay with me…I won't let him hurt you again. Next time…we'll be ready and I'll be there," Byakuya promised gravely, his lips brushing against silky ginger hair.

"I'm sorry." It was an apology he'd always wished to say, even if Ichigo could not hear him now…it had to be said, and many times over.

With a deep breath he went to find his sister.

"Nii-sama!" she cried as he appeared in a flash before her. Her troubled blue eyes landed on the form in her brother's arms. "Ichigo! What…what happened to him?"

"I'll explain later. Prepare the Senkaimon," Byakuya beseeched grimly, glad that Rukia couldn't decipher which injuries were Ichigo's and which were his own, "Quickly, Rukia."

She did not hesitate. Rukia used her sword and thrust it into the empty space before her…a pair of shouji screen doors appeared, square-shaped and then circular, each slid apart and the two Kuchiki entered the soft white light, followed by the tinkle of a Hell swallowtail butterfly.


	4. Pretty?

It was the most bizarre scene in Soul Society that night when Captain Kuchiki Byakuya in plain black shihakusho empty of division status and noble encumbrance, came to the Forth Division carrying a seriously wounded Kurosaki Ichigo in his arms. Rukia trailing after her brother…

Gone from Byakuya's face was any affectation. His voice was that of urgency, "Find your captain,  _now_ ," he ordered a young fourth division shinigami in training that had been in the process of making a bed, but stopped to momentarily gape at the scene before him.

"Y-yes Kuchiki-taicho!" The shinigami found his wits and immediately scurried out of the room.

A moment later he returned with his Taicho and a squad of healers.

Only when Ichigo was relieved from him, and urgently carried to a table by Captain Retsu Unohana and her healers, did Byakuya succumb to his own wounds. And it was only then that Rukia realized her brother was seriously injured as well.

"Nii-sama! You're hurt, too! You…you never said anything!" The guilt was raw in her voice as Rukia attempted to use her small frame to grab hold of her brother, but he was going down fast and he was much too heavy for her.

Byakuya grabbed onto the doorframe and tried to use his sister's support to brace himself with what little dignity he had left. With wet, slippery hands he could not keep a grip, and sank to his knees leaving a gruesome smear of blood in his wake. He clutched at his midsection as blood blossomed around his middle, repugnantly seeping past his long, pale fingers.

"Isane, go tend to the captain of the sixth!" ordered Unohana when she spotted Byakuya struggling.

Rukia stood there a lifeless doll, too stunned to move as she watched the healers work.

* * *

 

"I can't believe I'm sitting in a room where both the Taicho and Ichigo are on sick beds in the same room. What the fuck happened to them?! And how do you suppose he knew you guys were in trouble in the middle of the night?" pondered the red-haired, tribal tattoo-painted lieutenant of the sixth division, Abarai Renji. Captain Kuchiki's right hand man. He sat in a chair next to Rukia at the foot of Byakuya and Ichgio's hospital bed with his arms crossed severely. The points of his black, tattooed eyebrows were stitched together in bafflement and unsettlement.

Rukia sighed, "I don't know, Renji. He…he just came out of nowhere; he wasn't even in proper uniform. It makes no sense. Who  _was_  that monster? What was—"

"We're not sure…"

Rukia and Renji stood up swiftly and bowed at the Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Jushiro Ukitake.

"Ukitake-taicho," Rukia spoke up first, "…do we have any indication about what happened to Nii-sama and Ichigo?"

Ukitake wore dismal concern on his normally peaceful face, a face that gave no hint to the centuries and experience behind him. He stood tall and sure, his long flowing white hair had nothing to do with age.

"Until they wake up and give their full account, I'm afraid not. We have only your account, Rukia. There is no record to prove who this unknown spiritual energy belongs to, but we now have a signature of the enemy they fought. At the moment it cannot be located. We'll have to wait and do some research. I hope it's enough to give us some warning if he returns." Ukitake sighed and smiled softly at her, "I'm glad you are okay, Rukia. Your brother's timing is impeccable—he cares for you very much and he probably saved Ichigo's life."

"Thank you, Taicho," she said respectably, "Yes. I have much to thank him for. If he hadn't come, Ichigo and I…"

"I want you to go home and get some rest," Ukitake advised softly, "They're in good hands now we'll make sure no one disturbs them here."

"Thank you, Taicho," Rukia replied again and watched her captain leave after briefly glancing at the two injured men; he was shaking his head in bewilderment. It was maddening how one enemy could nearly take down two of the strongest men she knew.

"I'll walk you home, Rukia. You should take your Taichio's advice and get some sleep, you've been up all night hovering around these two," Renji offered, eyeing Ichigo and Byakuya. It was now morning and Seireitei was bustling with activity. "I really should get to my division afterwards and fill in before…" Renji flashed his eyes at his recumbent captain once more and then back to Rukia, "…you know. He gets up and finds a desk covered in paperwork. It'll be my ass."

Rukia nodded and put on a serious face, "Thank you, Renji."

Renji just beamed and ruffled Rukia's hair, "Anytime! And don't worry they'll be fine…those two are  _the_  most stubborn men I've ever had the pleasure to know."

This was true. Rukia nodded lightly about that.

Watching Rukia in such a vulnerable state, her eyes filled with concern, her face solemn and downcast. Renji's heart reached out to her. He wanted, more than anything, to make her smile and ease her worry.

Just then a keen thought came to Renji's mind. It was something he'd been thinking about a lot lately, probably for a few decades, but so many obstacles or excuses got in the way. He didn't know how to go about it with someone like Rukia. Sure, they were close friends for so long he could barely keep count of the years, but when it came to this stuff it was a completely different story! It was like he suddenly just met her or something. Maybe it was because she seemed so exposed right now that it felt like the right time.

He wasn't exactly the master of good timing. But she really needed him now and this was the kind of nudge he needed.

Renji instantly stood ramrod straight as a crimson streak appeared over the ridge of his nose and over the crests of his cheeks. He didn't even notice Rukia's hard glare as she straightened her tousled hair. The vice-captain glanced nervously at his resting captain again; he couldn't ask her this in the same room with her brother and Ichigo here! Even if they were asleep!

The spiky-haired redhead steered her outside the medical facilities, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed Senbonzakura standing sentinel by the door.

"You shouldn't startle are person like that!" Renji wailed.

"It was not my intention to alarm you, my apologies," said the zanpakuto calmly. "I'm here to ward off possible ruffians."

Ruffians? Renji gave Senbonzakura a vague look.

The samurai then leaned down and asked Rukia, "Have you seen Sode no Shirayuki around?"

Rukia blinked and patted the sword at her hip, "She's here. I guess she's busy."

"Will you tell her I said 'Hello'," Senbonzakura requested pleasantly.

Rukia resisted a groan, but she did exclaim, "But you guys see each other all the time! I'm not your messenger service!"

Renji urged an eye-twitching Rukia further away from the forth division and the overzealous zanpakuto. He then blurted, "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Rukia narrowed her eyes skeptically, noticing how Renji's face was as red as his hair.  _Was he really asking her this now?!_  Talk about bad timing… Shouldn't he have asked her out ages ago? Still, she felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips; it was better late than never, right?

"Dinner…? Are you asking me out on a date, Renji?"

"No! Err…yes…I mean… What kind of 'date' are  _you_  talking about?" Renji hung his spiky red head in shame.  _Fail!_

Rukia would have blushed, but she held it together along with her smirk. She would much rather torture Renji a little more since it has taken him  _so_  long to finally work up the nerve! Also, right now he was being so cute!

"I don't know what kind of date, Renji, but when you figure it out let me know." With that she began to walk off, chuckling to herself softly. Her brother and Ichigo's injuries momentarily relieved from her mind.

Renji stared in her direction and mentally kicked himself.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

 _Dammit Renji just breathe!_ He took a moment to recoup his courage and chased after her. By the time he dropped her off at the Kuchiki manor gate, he'd landed himself a 'real' date with the girl that he knew was always destined to be his one day.

* * *

 

Two days later…

Yachiru, the smallish, pink-haired lieutenant of the eleventh division and Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's most devoted supporter, came tip-toeing into the infirmary. In her hands she had clutched a small, dark-brown drawstring pouch.

"I know you're there," droned Byakuya. He'd been laying there staring over at Ichigo, whose face seemed peaceful now, but a moment ago his eyes were shifting under his lids and his brows were knotted together. What was he dreaming about? Was it Zero? Byakuya had been thinking of that fight, his mind going over every aspect of it with that incredibly strong fiend. He sat up with a tiny grunt of discomfort, the soft white blankets sliding off his chest and bunching up around his waist.

The lieutenant pouted. She had even been hiding her reiatsu!

Yachiru popped up between Ichigo and the captain's sick beds. She studied Byakuya. His skin was pale, which wasn't unusual. The captain's raven hair was sleep-crimped and his soft blue sleeping garment was slipping off one shoulder. She could see the bandages wrapped around his middle peeking at her.

"How did Bya-kun know I was here?" she wondered, tilting her head to one side innocently.

"Your tactics are becoming customary," Byakuya explained tiredly.

Drat! Time for a new strategy! Yachiru thought direly. She smiled sweetly and held out the bag she carried to Byakuya in two small hands, "I brought you and Icchi a present…you're always giving me treats, so, I brought you some because you're sick!  _You_  need candy." She placed the small cloth bag gently in Byakuya's lap.

The noble just stared at it listlessly and sighed.

"Here, I'll show you what's inside," she pressed on happily all proud of herself. Yachiru pulled out two giant pink lollipops, "One for Icchi and one for Byakushi." Those were followed by a slew of little, multi-coloured foil-wrapped candies, "Peppermints."

Byakuya didn't know what to say, this was unexpected. Or, perhaps this was an enticement, something to soften the blow when he got home and found something nefarious waiting for him to discover. Case in point: Yachiru and the Shinigami Women's Association.

Mischievous brown eyes were watching him keenly. He wondered if the lollipops had been formerly licked by the little barbarian.

"Your gesture has been noted."

The little lieutenant beamed and practically glided towards the exit smugly. Happy that Byakuya accepted her gift. It wasn't an easy task to do; he was such a fuss pot! "Don't hog them all Bya-kun…make sure you give Icchi his share, ok?"

"Yachiru-chan…?" Unohana questioned suspiciously, arriving with even more stealth and silence than Yachiru had. It nearly caught the small lieutenant by surprise, nearly. "You aren't harassing my patients when they are in the process of recuperation, are you?" The gentle woman with her long, dark braided hair, which rest down her front, asked patiently.

"Nope! Not at all, I brought get-well presents! Bye Re-chan!" Yachiru was gone.

By the time the Captain of the Fourth Division came by Byakuya's bed, the bag of candy was nowhere to be seen. She did a routine check-up and decided it was safe to let Byakuya continue his recovery at home. The noble's eyes darted over to Ichigo, who rested peacefully with eyes closed, his chest rising and falling steadily.

Byakuya nodded and then made a request.

* * *

 

Outside in the immaculate green garden of cherry trees, flowers and serene decor on the Kuchiki grounds, Byakuya stood staring into a tranquil pond full of fat koi, contemplating whatever he contemplated about. He was dressed in his usual sixth division haori and black hakama, his zanpakuto faithfully at his hip. He looked refreshed and untouched, black hair highlighted under the afternoon sun, kenseikan set perfectly in place. The light green scarf was worn on proud shoulders, swishing gently in the breeze as if to say so.

It was as if nothing had ever spoiled the proud noble in the first place, or ever for that matter. If one were to cross paths with him for the very first time they'd never believe that he was such a formidable opponent. Vicious, ruthless and calculating...

He appeared too delicate for battle, too beautiful...

_Oi?!_

Ichigo batted his amber eyes in slight terror.  _Beautiful…?!_  Had he just thought such a sentiment? Pretty, perhaps pretty was a better word. Men could be pretty in a manly way! Dammit!

Giving his head a dull shake, Ichigo reminded himself not to let Byakuya's appearance be the judge of the man's fighting abilities, because the man had techniques and moves that were lethal and  _awesome—_ a rose accompanied by thorns.

Ichigo stood wearily by the wooden railing on the veranda that was built around the house overlooking the garden, watching Byakuya silently. It was the first time in days since he was able to wander outside for some fresh air and sunlight after spending many cooped up in bed. When he had first awoken he hadn't opened his eyes. He must have been dreaming, because he thought he could feel his mother petting and hand over his hair soothingly. It was so wonderful that he felt himself smile before he had quickly fallen back into the abyss of slumber again. The next time he awoke, he saw a strange young girl clearly when his vision focused. She was in white servant garb who explained to him that he was inside the Kuchiki manor. He remembered feeling mildly surprised before he'd passed out again. However, it was confirmed when he awoke a third time and actually overheard Byakuya turning someone away from outside his bedroom door, 'Do not disturb him until he's able to greet us on his own feet.'

Ichigo had been grateful for the semblance of peace, because he wasn't sure what to say about what had happened at that point. He didn't want to answer their questions yet, he didn't really get it himself. Thinking about it made him irritable.

He still ached, his injuries had been significant, and this time it had taken awhile to heal. He had no idea how many days he was out. But he could no longer be useless and just lie in bed. He needed to move, he needed some answers! The part-time soul reaper hated being useless! He hated everything about that strange guy, Zero. He really wanted to rush out of here and hunt him down, kick his ass in the  _worst_  way.

Byakuya…

Ichigo silently stared at him in complete wonder, eyebrows drawn together in a frown. What  _was_  he doing there? How did he know? Why had no one else shown up to help? Ichigo wasn't sure, but at least he'd gotten to Rukia. That had to be the reason Byakuya had shown up so swiftly…his little sister. Ichigo smiled softly, he could understand that. Big brothers were the same everywhere when it came to little sisters. Byakuya and he weren't any different in that respect.

But that fight with Zero…

Ichigo remembered vaguely like a reverie. It came to him in flashes like old photographs, but he remembered—Rukia falling, then the pain—such incredible pain, Zero's horrendous Hollow, and lastly Byakuya taking a grave hit for him. It was the final thing he could remember, pain searing through him like shrapnel and Byakuya appearing before his sight like some kind of angel and then nothing…

This man shed blood on Zero's swords and had protected him. He knew that if he'd been the one to get hit like that after all the damage he'd already taken, that he probably wouldn't be standing here right now. Byakuya truly saved his hide this time. This made Ichigo very angry! Not angry at Byakuya but angry that he'd let the noble shinigami get hurt on his behalf! Angry that he couldn't stop it!

Ichigo stood there with clenched fists a wild look stirring in his eyes. That's when a head of raven hair stirred. Byakuya peered over his shoulder at him as if he just realized he was there.

The wild look suddenly vanished from the human's eye and his heart lurched, a strange thrill coursed through his entire being. He felt his stomach knot and his throat grow tight. Byakuya was coming over to him. His reiatsu pulsing with his anger must have given him away. Shit! He cast his eyes aside and scoffed.  _Why_  was Byakuya always doing this to him? What was he getting all worked up about? Was it because he was recuperating in the Kuchiki manor or, because Byakuya had saved his life or, because he had just thought the man was— _pretty?_  No, beautiful…

Anger slid off of Ichigo like a landslide and was replaced with uncertain awkwardness. He thumped his forehead on the wooden rail, baffled by his ridiculous thoughts. The human shinigami couldn't control his blushing; an occurrence that only seemed to happen around Byakuya he realized.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked in his deep velvet voice, perplexity obvious.

Staying how he was, arms hanging limply towards the floor, Ichigo's eyes noted Byakuya's sandaled feet at his right, he could smell the faint scent of cherry blossoms and peppermint…?

"I…I was just going over that fight in my head," he semi lied, "The things that guy said, trying to figure out how I'm going to give my report. I just don't get it. That guy was… _so_  strong, unlike any arrancar or vizard or shinigami, there was something different about him."

"He was human."

"What?!" Ichigo blasted.

"And part Hollow…"

The orange-haired man tried to comprehend. "So, you mean…"

"He's like you."

"Me?" Ichigo breathed, "But how…?"

Byakuya sighed, "I don't know. All we have is the story he told us. I know it's not the last we'll see of him."

"And the stuff he said about my inner world, being able to enter it…old man Zangetsu confirmed it and so did…"

"Your Hollow," Byakuya finished for him, wondering if Zangetsu or the Hollow might have felt his very own presence within Ichigo's inner world. Though, Ichigo said nothing of it and he wasn't about to bring it up.

Ichigo grunted. It was weird hearing Byakuya say that out loud. "Right, well how come my Hollow-idiot didn't fight that bastard with Zangetsu? I'm gonna strangle that white piece of…" Ichigo grumbled not finishing his sentence. Instead Ichigo realized how rude he was being and how weird he was acting. Bent over like some kind of puppet and in front of Kuchiki Byakuya!

He snapped up suddenly and faced the noble like a man. He wasn't a teenager anymore. The blush was finally gone from his cheeks.

"I apologize for that…I…sorta forgot where I was," Ichigo muttered.

"It's nothing. I suggested that you should recover in a more…peaceful environment. Not the forth division infirmary. You get visitors there whether you want them or not," the soul reaper remarked dryly.

Ichigo pondered this. He wondered who had bothered Byakuya while in the infirmary. He soon discovered.

"Someone left you a gift," Byakuya affirmed and produced the small bag he'd gotten from Yachiru from inside the folds of his haori.

Ichigo took the bag gently and looked inside.  _Candy?_  Ah, so that's why Byakuya smelled like peppermint. The whole thing was just so priceless to Ichigo, he chuckled with amusement.

"What's so funny?" asked Byakuya, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Nothing, I see that Yachiru paid her dues," Ichigo humored innocently.

"So it would seem," the noble replied.

Ichigo's amusement faded and there was silence between them, thick and heavy and full of apprehension. Both men seemed unsure about what else to say. They watched each other carefully but neither moving to retreat.

The vizard stared into the stormy grey eyes of a man that had lived for two centuries and four decades but aged physically about only twenty-five, twenty-six human years. He had to say something. "I'm in debt to you for your hospitality and for…I mean for…" Ichigo wasn't sure why he was fumbling at the words. He just wanted to express his gratitude! He owed Byakuya that much.

Ichigo decided to bow deeply. "Thank you for saving my life!" he charged fervently. Slowly, Ichigo stood straight catching the noble's stony expression again. It felt like he was hiding something behind that hard gaze. Ichigo had gotten the impression over the years that Byakuya used this face when he was trying to hide what he really thinking. At that very moment Ichigo thought he'd give  _anything_  to know what was going on inside Byakuya's mind right this instant.

"I was simply doing my duty," the noble claimed indifferently.

A poignant look overcame Ichigo's face. "Well, you're one of the few people to take a hit like that for me…the first was my mother," Ichigo looked away solemnly, "but she died for it…I know you know that, so..." He paused for a moment. "It means something to me that you did that but…" he turned his back on Byakuya fully and growled, surprising even himself, "…don't you dare die on me!"

With that Ichigo stormed back into the manor, leaving a stunned captain behind.

Sometimes...Byakuya thought sadly. Sometimes, he was so wrapped up in his own misery that he forgot that he wasn't the only one that ached about losing someone close to him. It made him feel selfish just then. Seeing Ichigo display his raw feelings to him like this was quite rare, and he had to force himself not to follow the man. Because, if he did, he wasn't sure what he'd do when he got there. If only he could go to him now and sooth away that pain. Make him smile like he had when he was asleep.

"Don't you dare die on me either, Ichigo…"


	5. It's Not So Unbeautiful

Inside an impressive large room stood all the captains of the Gotei 13, the Imperial Guards of Soul Society, leaders of their respected divisions, divided into two rows facing one another. At their head was their Captain Commander, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

"Let me guess what this is about?" taunted the flamboyant, flowery kimono-wearing Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of the eighth division. "A little birdie tells me it's about that mangy-haired substitute…the one that carries a sword the size of his body. Am I right, Yama-jii?

"But what are we going to do about it?" Ukitake asked with apprehension, wondering about the situation at hand.

"What do you mean, Jushiro-san? The boy has to compensate for something," Shunsui teased, delighted that he got that opening.

Soi Fon snorted loudly.

"Can't we just get on with the meeting," groaned Toshiro Hitsugaya, the small icy captain of the tenth division. He cast his turquoise glare straight ahead, a scowl set to his lips.

"Quiet!" demanded the Captain Commander. "This meeting has been called to discuss what to do with Kurosaki Ichigo since his untimely attack eight days ago. You have all been given a report on the details of what occurred based on Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia and Kuchiki Byakuya's statements. I've been made aware that this threat is not over…"

Byakuya regarded no one and remained sentinel.

"Kurotsuchii Mayuri has informed that we know nothing more of this menace, but he will continue his research on the sample he gathered the other day. Having this entity on the loose is a threat to Soul Society and the Human World. I want everyone to be diligent in detecting anything out of the ordinary," Yamamoto directed.

"If the enemy has the power to create a twin of himself and infiltrate inner worlds and appear before someone outside, and inside at the same time…what if he can separate himself into many worlds and fight many opponents at once?" questioned Komamura, the giant fox-like captain of the seventh division.

Byakuya opened his eyes. "I do not think he has the capability to do so, otherwise he would have infiltrated mine as well as Ichigo's when I first arrived on the scene. And I would not be here discussing this with you right now," he offered in perfect monotone.

All the captains heard what Byakuya said about the enemy but that wasn't why they were shooting noticeable glances at each other.

"Ah…how pleasant! It seems you and the human shinigami have finally made nice," praised Shunsui, regarding Byakuya's use of Kurosaki's first name. It had only taken a few years.

Byakuya plainly ignored the jib. Like everything else, they'd all soon forget.

"That's wonderful," beamed Ukitake.

The noble forced himself not to roll his eyes.

Hitsugaya groaned loudly, "Why can't we just stay on topic?"

That's when the huge hall doors burst open, the light of day beaming into the room. A figure stood amid the midst of the glare. One irritated looking Kurosaki Ichigo. Everyone turned their heads to see who it was, except for the captain of the sixth. He just sighed.

"Ah, if it isn't the man of the hour," Shunsui quipped.

"Yo Genryusai! I'm being told I can't leave, what gives?!" Ichigo demanded hotly, going from 'gramps' to honorific-less first name basis with the captain-commander.

Seemingly unaffected by Ichigo's outburst, the chief simply replied, "We haven't decided what to do with you yet and until further notice you are not to leave Seireitei."

Kurosaki Ichigo clenched a fist and gaped at the old, ribbon-bearded shinigami. He was tired of these guys thinking they could just force him to stay here in Soul Society all the time. This time the enemy was after him, not Soul Society. Dammit!

"Why don't you stay until the threat is over?" offered Ukitake, "You can use a room in the thirteenth division. I'd be happy to put you up."

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed, "I mean no disrespect, Ukitake-taicho, but I want to go home. I like it there. You people forget I have a life in the real world, my family and school. The enemy is after  _me._ He said so himself. You know I would never go back on my duties as your substitute but you can't cage me here like an animal!"

"Granted, but you couldn't deal with the enemy on your own," Shunsui pointed out. "If we let you go you could meet your fate next time."

"So I meet my fate. But I'm not going to run and hide," Ichigo voiced strongly. "I'll be ready for the enemy if he comes back. I need to protect Karakura Town."

The room went quiet. Everyone was thinking.

"Maybe we could stick a guard with him," Zaraki Kenpachi boomed, the little bells on the tips of his spiky hair tinkling. "Not Kuchiki Rukia, but someone tougher. And not me, before you get any freakin' ideas."

The substitute shinigami frowned. This new direction of conversation was getting WAY off track. "Wait! I don't think—"

"That could be arranged," Yamamoto cut Ichigo off like he wasn't even there, "But, who would we send?"

A few heads moved to glance at one another hesitantly. It didn't seem as if anyone was keen on taking on this mission. Just like Ichigo they rather enjoyed staying in their home world, too.

"I'll do it."

The room was noxiously still. Someone's tummy growled. The sound of Kenpachi's little bells tinkling was profound. No one wanted to make it obvious that they were shocked by who just spoke so there was a lot of shifting eyes and little breathing.

Except…

"Thatta boy, Byakuya-kun! Always the first to rush to the frontlines," sang Shunsui, lazy, happy eyes looking up from under his sakkat, "A little fresh air will put colour on those cheeks of yours."

Ukitake nodded merrily in agreement. "Sounds like a great idea. We'll be able to warn you if we pick up Zero's signature again, you'll get back-up."

"Don't you get it? He just wants to kick that chump's ass for cuttin' him. Call me when the fighting starts," Kenpachi requested with a maniacal grin. Such a serious lack of real fights these days. Sigh.

Huh? What just happened…? Ichigo stood there utterly speechless. Kuchiki Byakuya didn't…he didn't just…

Byakuya forced a calm front. He knew he'd promised Ichigo his protection from Zero when the younger man was unconscious and bleeding in his arms, but that wasn't the reason he'd just spoke up and jumped at the opportunity without a moment's thought! He felt cold with mortification, chills threatened to creep up his spine. He knew  _exactly_  why he'd volunteered—to chase a fruitless dream.  _What was he thinking?!_  It just came out of nowhere, like he'd had no control of his voice or his mind or…or anything! It was as if everything he'd never been taught about proper conduct and self-control had been crushed merrily like a bug under his  _waraji-_ clad foot.

Inside his head Senbonzakura was, with divine pleasure, expressing how he couldn't  _wait_  to visit the human world. The noble bit back a sigh. His own pride wouldn't let him go back on his offer now, nor would his latest promise. Why did he do these things to himself?

"Then it's settled, Kuchiki Byakuya will accompany Kurosaki Ichigo to the real world until further notice as acting guardian. Contact Urahara Kisuke and notify him of the situation and have him prepare a gigai," the captain commander ordered with a thump of his wooden staff, Ryujin Jakka.

"Whoa. Whoa.  _Whoa!_ " Ichigo cried, "Don't I have any say in this?"

"That's the commander's final word," Hitsugaya claimed, "You should know by now you can't fight it. You should be grateful you even managed to change his mind."

"But…"

"Everyone is dismissed," the captain commander said with finality.

People began to file out of the meeting hall, glad it was over and that they could resume their own duties. Mayuri, on the other hand, came to a halt as he was passing Ichigo. He backed up a few steps and studied the orange-haired man peculiarly. He reached over and tapped one long, daunting blue fingernail on the charm nestled at Ichigo's collarbone.

"Hmm, interesting that protection charm you're wearing. I wonder where you got it from," he mused and caught a steely glare from Kuchiki Byakuya as he passed them, but proceeded outside. "Hmm, I see. I guess the world  _does_  work in mysterious ways," he added sardonically.

Ichigo eyed the enigmatic scientist with unease, noting his black and white painted face and gold coloured eyes. Just how long did it take to actually paint that stuff on every day? It seemed like a waste of time. Today, though, the captain of the twelfth wasn't wearing his swishy head ornament, but an inflated blue headpiece that crowned his head like an Egyptian pharaoh.

"What does that mean?" urged Ichigo.

"It simply means, you stupid child, that you're wearing a very powerful talisman that has the ability to connect to a soul, allowing another soul to enter their inner world or to even prognosticate upcoming events. The magic of the charm is not linked until it is bestowed to the desired bearer, and only then will it work, when the bearer is threatened with certain death," Mayuri conferred and pushed his way past Ichigo.

Only Ichigo grabbed the captain by the elbow roughly, somewhat surprised to feel flesh and bone beneath the cloth. What else did he expect to find?

"How do you know all this?" Ichigo demanded.

The mad scientist regarded the human with irritation, eyeing the hold on his arm in complete distaste. Ichigo yanked his hand back suddenly wondering if he'd been illicitly poisoned just now.

Mayuri sighed impatiently, "So strong, yet so daft. Because,  _I_  was the one that put the enchantment on it you fool!" He wandered off simpering somewhat impishly.

Standing in the now barren meeting hall, Ichigo let this new information absorb into his brain. It didn't take him long to realize. He thought to himself. If he was wearing a charm that created a connection to his soul, then…  _No shit!_

Byakuya!

Ichigo exhaled in a rush. That was why the noble shinigami was the only one that knew he had been in trouble and had shown up in such haste! He was the second unknown presence in his inner world that Zangetsu had mentioned! He had been the 'prince' that Zero had mentioned. And here Ichigo thought he'd only been wearing a simple charm, a token of friendship, acceptance and trust.

But why did Byakuya give him such a powerful charm? Was it because of Rukia?

The noble could have just given Rukia the charm if he was that worried about her, Ichigo reasoned. But Byakuya had given it to him. He had summoned for  _him_  that day, invited  _him_  over for dinner and had given  _him_  the protection talisman. It wasn't like Byakuya could use it to keep tabs on him out of mistrust, because Mayuri said it only worked when the bearer was in trouble, was threatened with imminent death.  _Wow, I really was_   _about to die…?_  It had to be since Byakuya had never just shown up before like this. He didn't believe that Byakuya had given him the charm out of malice. And to acquire such an object it seemed as though the man had gone through some lengths to get it.

Ichigo should have felt violated, infringed upon in some way, angry as hell. He had every sense to find Byakuya and throttle him, grab him by that fancy scarf of his and demand an answer from him. It seemed logical. To demand why he would do such a thing for him! Demand why he went out of his way to protect him!

_To demand why Byakuya makes me feel this way!_

Amber eyes widened full and round, wavering in his head as his mind reeled. His mouth hung open.

A strangled gasp tore from Ichigo's throat.

It came down on him like a crushing cero. The stupid blushing, the squirmy gut-wrenching, the desire for his acknowledgement, the way he'd been looking at him, Ichigo  _finally_  understood. Oh, man… He knew the reason behind his bizarre reactions when he was around Byakuya. It was suddenly  _so_  clear that he could not move! His body felt frozen as if by Hyorinmaru's magic. He would look to see if Toshiro was actually nearby torturing him with ice spells but he couldn't even move his head.

It was crazy! And now Byakuya had volunteered to become his temporary guardian in the real world…

Could it…?

Was it possible…?

Did Byakuya feel something for him? No! No way!  _Not possible!_ The charm only proved he cared but it didn't mean he felt something more! Argh!

_What is the matter with me?!_

_Why was I even thinking about that?!_

_How could I have let this happen?!_

_When had I let down my guard? Why?!_

There was a loud shattering sound in Ichigo's head, the sound of invisible bonds breaking as he broke out of his frozen state and ran out of the hall like from the blazes of hell. He ran as if for his life, feet thumping over the boards of the walkway around the buildings, reiatsu raging out of control. He had to get away from here, he needed to find a way to breathe again…he had to think! At the end of the path he used one hand to sail over the railing and connected with a nearby rooftop. There was so much pressure bursting inside of him that running was the only option he had.

Ichigo ran until he could no more.

* * *

Later that day…

"Pour me another one."

Renji uncorked a bottle of warm sake and filled Ichigo's small dish for the fourth time in less than thirty minutes. "I don't get it, why are you drinking so much, Ichigo? This isn't like you."

"Yeah, you just recovered from serious injuries. Maybe you should slow down," Rukia suggested, eyeing her friend cautiously.

They sat around on cushions at a low raised table in a bar just outside Seireitei. Others where here, too, but they were mostly busy with discussions of their own. Mostly…

"It's because he's got Kuchiki-taicho as his guardian in the human world," jeered Ikkaku, already pink with the over indulgence of alcohol. "I'd be drinking too if I were you, Ichigo! Ha ha! You should have just agreed to stay in Soul Society!" The bald-headed shinigami from the eleventh division laughed loudly.

"I don't know Ikkaku, it's not so unbeautiful," murmured Yumichika Ayasegawa also of the eleventh, who was sitting poised and calm. He held his drink which was perched on his fingers.

"Be careful what you say!" cried Rukia warningly, her dark blue eyes round with horror.

Geesh, word got around fast.

"No," the orange-haired shinigami started calmly, his voice awfully despondent, dark. His amber eyes flicked up wearily from his drink, "That's not it, Ikkaku."

In a flash, Ichigo had the tip of Zangetsu under Ikkaku Madarame's chin. "I don't like the tone of your voice. What are you trying to say about Byakuya?! He's a captain you should show some respect! Tch, if I had Kenpachi as my guard I'd drink myself to death… _on purpose!_ "

"Oi! Now look who's showing disrespect?!" growled Ikkaku, whipping out his own zanpakuto and just as quickly had it under Ichigo's chin.

A few people scrambled out of the room.

"Will you two shut up!" hollered Rukia, aghast.

Ichigo and Ikkaku sneered at each other before withdrawing swords reluctantly. Both eyeing each other haughtily, they picked up their drinks and tossed them back, slamming their bowls down on the table afterwards.

"Ichigo…?" Rukia questioned carefully.

The vizard sighed. He wasn't exactly sure why he was being so testy and drinking like this. Ok,  _fine_ , he knew! He just wanted to numb his mind after realizing that a part of him really cared about Byakuya Kuchiki. It wasn't the type of care he felt for his family and friends either. It was the kind of care that had made his blood hot, the kind that made him squirm, the kind that kept making him blush stupidly around the man, the kind that freaked him out earlier. After all, he'd realized that he found a person of the same gender attractive, tempting…and it was the Kuchiki heir of  _all_  people! It was a lot to accept, but once he calmed down and let it all soak in he'd gone in search of alcohol and found Rukia and Renji at this bar. Ichigo hadn't even caught their slight expression of disappointment on their faces. Fact was he was interrupting the final scene of their first  _real_  date, they'd come here after a very pleasant dinner together. Although, they were his friends and they were truly worried when Ichigo turned to alcohol to placate whatever was going on in his mind…it was very unusual.

However, the substitute knew he wouldn't have recognized what he was feeling if it hadn't been for that odd scientist today. Ichigo got the feeling the Captain of the Twelfth Division did that on purpose now! Did Byakuya think he could keep the mystery of the charm to himself forever—that he would never find out? Ichigo never imagined this charm was this powerful and capable of such feats. And now Byakuya was to go with him to the real world as his guardian…Ichigo felt a strange mixture of dread and anticipation all at once.

Ichigo wasn't sure what to do about how he felt. He was a guy! Sigh…maybe Kon was right. He gulped down another mouthful of sake and wiped his mouth with his sleeve savagely. Ichigo forced his face to soften and he smiled reassuringly at his friends; he didn't want them to worry about him.

"I'm sorry Rukia…Renji. I've just got a lot on my mind with everything that happened. I'm not mad at Byakuya or anything. I mean, he saved my life. I owe him. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time one of you guys came to the real world with me," he joked sarcastically and ran a hand through his hair.

Rukia looked relieved, "I wasn't sure…"

"Still, I can't believe the Taicho volunteered for a mission like this," Renji said incredulously, tossing back his own drink and wearing a look of complete confusion. "Maybe he just wants first dibs on that piece of garbage, Zero."

Ichigo fiddled with the charm at his neck with numb fingers, "Yeah…maybe."

"So, you guys are going first thing in the morning?" asked Renji, filling up everyone's drinking bowls again.

"Nii-sama said he needed to get a few things in order before leaving, other people to place in charge while he's gone," explained Rukia. She took a small sip of her sake. "He doesn't often go to the real world for an extended period of time…I wonder what he'll think of it. Ichigo, promise me you'll keep him out of trouble."

Ichigo almost snorted the sake out of his nose. "Byakuya— _trouble?_ Shouldn't you be warning  _me_  to stay out of trouble? I doubt we have to worry about nii-sama causing much trouble. Pfft!"

Rukia scowled at Ichigo. "You're drunk."

Not drunk enough.

"I think Rukia means make sure he doesn't do anything un-human. You know, show him the ropes like you did with me and Rukia," Renji explained in the only way Renji could.

"I'm sure he has a general idea, Renji," Ichigo stated, waving the redhead off.

"Well, we'll spring by when we can and check up on you. Who knows, maybe this Zero guy will show up tomorrow and you can both go on your merry way," the redhead added optimistically. Then he knotted his tattoos together on his forehead, "Just don't let Urahara give him any wonky mod souls."

Wonky mod souls, eh? Suddenly, Ichigo had an image of Byakuya's mod soul fleeing with joy, much like how Kon got, and terrorizing the girls of Karakura Town. Dropping coins to the ground in order to pick them up and peek under their skirts. He heard a self-created Byakuya-giggle echo in his brain.

This time sake did squirt out his nose. Ichigo roared with laughter and moaned in pain at the same time, rubbing over his nose. He fell backwards in a heap. He couldn't help it. A fusion of maddening stress and pure hilarity poured out of him. He shook so hard tears leaked from the corner of his eyes.

Renji and Rukia glanced at each other warily.

"HA HA! That's the spirit, Ichigo!" cheered Ikkaku, harsh words between them completely forgotten.


	6. One Lump or Two?

A set of senkaimon gates opened, and from the white light walked two shinigami.

Byakuya and Ichigo stood in front of Urahara's shop in Karakura Town. It was an uninteresting dull structured establishment from the outside, obscure, and not in a very busy part of town. It wasn't even very inviting looking. Perhaps that was Urahara's plan all along, since it seemed to cater mostly to shinigami.

A loud yawn broke the silence.

The noble peered over at Ichigo oddly, "Are you alright?"

Stricken that he'd actually yawned that loudly, Ichigo glanced over at his new guardian, "Sake doesn't agree with me."

Byakuya scoffed, "You should practice better control."

"If I  _had_  better control of myself, I wouldn't have been drinking in the first place," Ichigo claimed enigmatically, cutting Byakuya a strange half smile.

"I don't understand," said the noble.

" _Either do I!"_  Ichigo snapped incredulously.

After his smart remark, Ichigo immediately felt terrible. He couldn't be a jerk towards Byakuya, that wasn't fair. It wasn't like it was the man's fault for his astute revelation yesterday. The fact that he'd become aware that there was something about this man that made his body react is unforeseeable ways. He totally avoided the subject about the protection charm and the invasion of his inner world, as if bringing it up would reveal his libertine thoughts to Byakuya. But, now that he'd opened this can of worms it was  _all_  he could think about. He found it difficult to stop studying Byakuya like as if some answer would prevail and tell him that he was mistaken, that he couldn't possibly find those piercing grey eyes alluring, or that perfect nose charming, or those subdued lips appealing. He tore his eyes away. It was all very frustrating!

Byakuya was unsure what to make of Ichigo's manner this morning and decided to let it go. He urged, "Let's go get this over with."

The vizard nodded.

They entered the building through a pair of sliding doors and were greeted by a small girl, a little older with black hair still in pigtails. She wore a simple white top with the store name on the front and a pink skirt with white polka dots. In her hands she held a large pot of tea that appeared much too heavy for her.

"Hey, Ururu-chan. Where's Urahara-san?" Ichigo asked her.

"In the sitting room, everyone is waiting for you there," she replied, giving Byakuya a diminutive bow, "Welcome, Kuchiki-sama."

"Oi! Stupid!" hollered a young boy with a frock of red hair. He raced out of the back room and bonked the girl on the head with a fist. "Hurry up, our guests will be…" The boy stopped and realized the 'guests' were already here.

"Jinta," Ichigo started reproachfully, "It isn't nice to pick on girls."

"Meh, whatta  _you_  know?" Jinta sneered cockily.

"Come on," Ichigo urged, ignoring the testy boy and waved a hand for Byakuya to follow him into the room at the back of the shop. They entered a spacious room, where stationed in the middle, was a low-raised, large round table.

And everyone was there!

Urahara, Inoue, Ishida, Chad, and Kon (in Ichigo's body) were seated around the table with legs tucked under them or crossed. All of them held a cup of tea. Even the three mod souls in plushie form were here—Ririn, Noba and Kurodo. They were mucking about on the table top.

"I never said you were a duck. For your information I don't know what kind of bird you are," Kurodo the bunny plushie yammered to Ririn.

"A chickadee! You told me to stop quacking! Quack! Quack! Quack!" she shrilled.

Noba, the little green turtle plushie in his grey slacks and red bow tie slumped in defeat atop the table, and put his fingerless paws to his ears.

"I do believe Inoue-san can solve this riddle," Kurodo claimed boldly.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue exclaimed.

"What?!" Kurodo blasted, "I'm quite sure there's no such thing as a bird called, Kurosaki-kun!"

"I think she means the  _real_  Kurosaki," Chad offered in his deep voice.

"Huh…?"

All heads turned in the direction of the two men standing at the entrance, Ichigo in his standard shinigami clothes and Kuchiki Byakuya in his captain's haori and windflower scarf.

"Hello Kurodo, Ririn…Noba," Ichigo said patiently and with friendly smiles for everyone. He was surprised to see them all here. "Ishida, Chad, Inoue, Kon…what are you guys doing here?"

"Urahara-san was filling us in on what happened to you and…" Ishida eyed Byakuya briefly and pushed his glasses up with his index finger, "…Kuchiki-san. We've decided to help you be on the lookout for trouble."

Ichigo came up next to Kon and gave him a nice shove in the back, causing the soul pill to pop out of his mouth. Ishida caught it with mild disgust and produced Kon's lion plushie body with the sneaky blue Quincy cross he'd stitched on the back of its head ages ago. He placed the pill inside the plushie's mouth.

It sprang to life!

"Where's my Nee-san?!" Kon wailed, and stood with paws on hips frowning and pointing at Byakuya, "I don't want this guy!"

Ichigo entered his human body and stood up. He replied, "She stayed in Soul Society. This 'guy' is Rukia's brother."

Kon didn't care! He huffed and turned his fuzzy back on the entire situation, arms crossed.

"How is Rukia-chan?" Inoue implored, hands clasped to her chest.

"She's fine thanks to…uhh…" Ichigo scratched his head uncomfortably, "Actually, Rukia and I have Byakuya here to thank for saving our sorry asses."

"Thank goodness," Inoue sighed, looking at the raven-haired Gotei Captain.

"Stupid Ichigo!" cried Ririn and launched herself at the vizard. Ichigo caught her and she sobbed into his chest, "I was so worried about you!"

Ichigo appeared bashful and softly said, "My bad. I'm sorry to always upset you, Ririn."

With pained plushie eyes she gazed at Byakuya.

"Thank you mister for saving my Ichigo!" she charged, suddenly hopping onto the noble's shoulder and fiercely wrapping her little arms around the side of his neck. Clinging to him like some kind of leech.

Byakuya blinked, stupefied.

"Oi! Ririn, stop that," Ichigo chided her and she let go of the captain and returned to his hand hold. "I apologize for that, she's just excited," he explained to Byakuya.

"What…what are they?" the Kuchiki heir wondered, gazing upon the tiny thing that had just attacked him.

Urahara Kisuke waited until he had his opening and stood up. He gave a slight bow to Byakuya in greeting then straightened, snapping open his white fan to hide a sneaky smile. The shopkeeper couldn't help but feel tickled about Byakuya's reaction to the rambunctious modified soul creatures.

"They are stuffed animals containing a modified soul. When they are needed we sometimes let them free in their human-like forms. But today, Ririn insisted she be here to greet Ichigo since I told her you both would be arriving today, and after I explained what had happened to you the other day," the man in geta sandals explained.

"I see," stated the noble, not really interested in starting small talk with Kisuke. He vaguely recalled seeing Ririn with Ichigo many moons ago in a forest near Rukongai, he'd been fighting a Bount. It wasn't like he'd been paying much attention to the mod soul at the time. His eyes settled on Noba, and then Kurodo, the bunny-like creature. How amusing, it made him think of Rukia's much adored Chappy the Rabbit.

The ex-twelfth division captain with his green and white striped bucket hat sat back down on a soft green cushion. Next to him rest his  _shikomizue_ , or rather his zanpakuto that appeared to be an ordinary cane, Benihime.

"Kuchiki-taicho, it's my pleasure and honour to offer you my services and welcome you to my shop. Please make yourself at home. Sit down with us and have some tea. I'll have Tessai-san call you when your gigai is in order, and a mod soul that is suited just for you," said the shopkeeper affably.

Byakuya decided tea sounded excellent. Everyone shuffled around to make space for him and Ichigo to take a seat at the table. The noble knelt next to Urahara, and Ichigo sat between Ishida and Chad…as far away from Byakuya as he could. Ururu came in quickly and set a white ceramic cup in front of them, and poured the steaming hot tea.

"It appears your foe is a human-hollow hybrid of unknown sources. Quite the mystery, I hope it isn't too troublesome for you to be here and safeguard Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-sama," Urahara said, looking at them from under the shadow of his hat.

Byakuya's eyes shifted over to Ichigo coolly and then back to his cup of tea, "I believe I will make the best of my time here."

Urahara Kisuke glanced at Ichigo and then Byakuya casually. He began to flutter his fan, curiosity perking his lips. How interesting it was that Byakuya chose to look at Ichigo before he answered his question. Sometimes, the  _geta-boshi_  knew people better than people knew themselves. "Well, hopefully you won't be burdened with us for long," he said and looked over at the human shinigami, "Do you have a plan of action, Kurosaki-san?"

Seemingly off in space it took a moment for Ichigo to realize he'd been asked a question, "Um…a plan? Not really."

Everyone sighed but Byakuya. He took a gentle sip of his tea, hands holding the cup with perfect etiquette.

"I think we should march up to this Zero guy. He can't stand up to us all," Kurodo boasted, "We'll trick him with illusions."

"Yeah!" cheered Ririn.

"Hnn," sounded Noba.

Ichigo chortled. "I appreciate the enthusiasm guys but I don't want you to get hurt, this stuff is serious. The first time we were unprepared. Zero won't get away next time."

Ririn pouted visibly with arms crossed while still sitting on Ichigo's lap. "Stupid, Ichigo."

"Well, Chad and I could help. I bet he wouldn't like a Quincy arrow," Ishida stated proudly.

"I'm counting on you both," Ichigo told them honestly. Although, he had no idea how and when or where the final battle with Zero would take place. Still, if these guys wanted to help, he'd let them.

Byakuya swallowed another mouthful of soothing hot tea. Even if he was a man of status and prestige, he was the outsider at this table. It was different being the outsider, but he rather enjoyed the quasi-anonymous feeling. These people were not individuals he would normally situate himself with in any normal circumstances, but this situation he'd put himself in was nothing close to normal. The company was questionable, yet interesting. Ichigo's companions were profoundly loyal and caring, even after all this time. They'd run out onto the frontlines of battle with Ichigo so many times without a second thought—even these little mod soul creatures. As a captain of a division of soul reapers, he could admire this quality.

"Good morning everyone," Tessai, a large, mustached and bespectacled man announced in his ever present blue apron. He was an intimidating muscular man who, just like Kisuke, used to reside in Soul Society before they were exiled. He was a master of kido. So much so, that he could probably teach Byakuya a few things. That said something.

Tessai glanced down at the Kuchiki noble, "If you would follow me to the backroom I can set you up with a gigai, Kuchiki-sama. It would be my honour." He bowed.

Byakuya tried to hide a flash of sudden unease. He stared at his cup—his strong front faltering for a brief moment.  _This_  brutish guy was to help him with a gigai?! The noble's eyes were the only thing that gave away slight horror.

"If you want I can send Kurosaki-san to help you," Urahara offered from behind his fan pleasantly, eyes giving away nothing.

Byakuya reclaimed his stoic pose appearing unruffled again. But Ichigo almost paled at the suggestion. "Hey! Jerk! What the hell are you saying?!"

Looking innocent, Urahara replied softly, "I was simply suggesting…"

Byakuya stood up proudly—running was not an option. His own pride would never let him live it down. "It's fine."

"Oh, Kuchiki-sama," the shopkeeper sing-songed, "You do know how to use soul pills and whatnot, correct? I'm not familiar with your track record for real world visits."

"It is infrequent, but I have had the pleasure of using such devices before," the noble stated sarcastically.

Urahara looked pleased, "I thought you might."

* * *

The first thought Byakuya had while following Tessai down a dark narrow hallway was that Urahara Kisuke was quite the irritating man. He could not for the life of him see what his childhood friend, Yoruichi Shihoin, ever saw in him. The man was smug and reckless…on second thought, that crazy cat-woman probably admired such demeaning qualities. It shouldn't surprise him. But why was he bothering to analyze it anyways? He was in this current situation all due to his  _own_  big mouth and wicked indulgence. Byakuya chewed on large slice of humble pie. He sighed.

"What's the matter?" asked Tessai with concern, throwing him a backward glance.

The noble wore his stony face and said nothing; he was surprised that he actually let out that sigh so loudly.

The big man led him to a room and slid the door open. The whole place had a very homely tinge to it, even this room. It was brightly lit and had one small window at the back. But it was clean at least, smelled a bit musty but he could live with that. What choice did he have?

"The gigai is on the futon, and here," Tessai handed over a neatly folded pile of clothes and a pair of shoes, "You can change your attire later if you wish. Urahara-san picked this out for you."

 _Oh great_ , Byakuya thought derisively.

The man in the blue apron dug out a small, green sphere from the warm recesses of his front pants pocket. He handed the modified soul pill over, "You might want to use a dispenser like your sister, keeps your chances of losing the pill to a minimum."

Byakuya picked up the little pill and forced himself not to make a face. He'd sanitize this thing first chance he got.

"Do you want me to assist you?" asked Tessai.

"No!" the noble blurted. Byakuya tried to save face, "Thank you Tessai-san, but I believe I can manage."

Before Byakuya closed the door he paused when he heard a round a raucous laughter coming from the tea room. Then he shut the door softly.

No, this was nothing like home.

* * *

"You don't mind if I join, do you?"

Everyone in the tea room craned their heads towards the pleasant, deep sounding voice.

Inoue screamed, Ishida and Chad stared, Ichigo groaned, Urahara actually dropped his fan, Kon whimpered, the three mod souls played dead, Ururu and Jinta hugged each other for dear life.

Urahara picked up his fan and asked, "Who are you?"

"It's Senbonzakura, Byakuya's zanpakuto in its manifested form," Ichigo cut in with no look of surprise on his face. The samurai had a habit of showing up where ever he wished.

"Ahh," sounded the shopkeeper in realization. "Why, by all means please join us." He chuckled and eyed the large samurai carefully as he claimed Byakuya's empty spot, kneeling at the table gracefully.

"Ururu, tea please for our new guest," Urahara petitioned.

Tentatively, she let go of Jinta and retrieved her pot of tea. Jinta placed a cup down and she filled it.

"Cream or sugar?" she asked unsure.

The sword soul put a finger to his masked chin in thought, "I don't know…is that how you drink this kind of tea?"

"Try it plain first, Senbonzakura," Ichigo suggested.

"You have my gratitude," Senbonzakura offered at the service he was being given. Tugging off his tough leather gloves and resting them on the table. Then long, pale fingers reached for his mask…

Everyone looked on with eyes wide and breaths held...

But all they saw was a prominent pale chin, a hint of a bottom lip that got immediately blocked by a tea cup. The zanpakuto sipped loudly, sighed and dropped his mask.

Everyone exhaled loudly.

"I think I burnt my tongue," Senbonzakura complained. "Ah, but it  _is_  warming up my insides like sake."

Ichigo spat out a mouthful of his own tea, "What?!"

"Damn! Kurosaki what the hell did you do that for?!" wailed Ishida, his hands held out in a feeble attempt to shield himself from the offensive tea-spit.

"What? He says something like  _that_  and what do you want me to do?!" blasted Ichigo, fuming at Ishida.

Urahara was chuckling. "This is very interesting…I've never met Kuchiki-sama's zanpakuto before. It still fascinates me zanpakuto coming and going at will, but…"

"My duty first is always Byakuya-sama," Senbonzakura said honourably, cutting Urahara off. "Without him I would not exist."

"Of course," whispered Urahara. "Hmm, perhaps a straw for your tea would be less hindering. Yes?"

The girl in the polka dotted skirt fetched one quickly and dropped it into the samurai's cup.

Senbonzakura inspected the straw curiously, discovering how it bends at the top. "I knew the real world would be fascinating," he said, mesmerized.

Everyone eyed one another before they broke out into a fit of snickers and laughter.

"I can't believe this is Kuchiki-sama's zanpakuto," Ishida charged skeptically to Ichigo in a whisper.

"Well, they say the souls of our zanpakuto are born with us, and are an extension of our own souls. But every time I see this guy it's like Byakuya's complete opposite, which makes me really wonder about his owner sometimes," Ichigo expressed quietly as Ririn tip-toed closer the zanpakuto. There  _had_  to be more to Byakuya than Byakuya let on.

"Ririn," warned Urahara, "Don't bother our guest."

Ririn pouted.

* * *

Byakuya Kuchiki shifted uncomfortably in his gigai. The thing felt so foreign and stiff, it would take getting used to. He decided he didn't mind the clothes; he enjoyed the way it made him look, different than anything else he'd ever worn. Wearing something to refined would make him stand out around Ichigo when he was supposed to be blending in.

In front of a mirror he gazed at the urban-styled, loose-fitted dark blue jeans with strategic fading. The noble folded the collar of a white, button-down shirt he wore under a light black sweater. The front tails of the shirt were sticking out from underneath the sweater. On his feet was a pair of worn Converse, black with white toecaps and laces.

His eyes met his own in the mirror. He saw an indifferent expression on his face. Byakuya gave a small scoff.

He cast his eyes away from the mirror in haste. He used to believe strongly once, that showing emotion and fear was a sign of weakness. Although he wasn't sure how stoutly he believed in that now. He wasn't the same man he was a few years ago, and he was glad about that. Still, it was hard to break away from the standards he'd set to deal with his loss and his past bruised pride. He'd matured into a composed man on the outside, that was just who he was and he guarded himself, guarded his vulnerability. But inside he was just as passionate as Ichigo or Renji, or even Rukia. He just learned how to control himself better. When he looked into the mirror once more, he revealed his fear head on. He was here because he wished to be near Ichigo, and he didn't want him to get hurt again.

He'd made yet another promise. His heart would make him honour it. But the fear that gripped him was… What if he couldn't keep his promise? And that thought scared him.

The noble thought about earlier, before he and Ichigo left Soul Society. Ichigo was acting so oddly. Of course it could have been because he later divulged he'd been drinking the night previously. Or perhaps that sneak, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, had something to do with it. Byakuya scowled. He hadn't missed the evil gleam in the scientist's eye when he was talking to Ichigo in the meeting hall yesterday, pointedly checking out that enchanted charm he'd given to Ichigo. But he wasn't sure what exactly the man said to Ichigo, and he couldn't bring himself to ask. And Ichigo hadn't brought it up either.

"Are you okay in there, Kuchiki-sama?" boomed Tessai's voice from the other side of the door.

" _Yes,"_  replied Byakuya acutely. His eyes darted up towards his loose raven hair. Whenever he looked at himself without the kenseikan he was reminded of a time when he was younger and more carefree, an all around terror. A knowing smirk came to his face and he scoffed. His long fingers ran though his silky hair with freedom, it always felt good. He could understand why his grandfather didn't wear the kenseikan…what a pain they were to put on all the time.

Turning around suddenly, he thrust the door open startling Tessai who stood waiting, and marched passed him. He made his way to the tearoom before he changed his mind about  _all_  of this.

With a fixed frown Byakuya appeared before everyone, his eyes first landing on his wanderlust zanpakuto decorated with those little mod soul creatures. Ririn was on his head fixing his hair tie, Kurodo sat contently on his left shoulder looking smug and Noba was dropping in lumps sugar into his second cup of tea.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Senbonzakura," he said coolly, "What are you doing?"

"Master…?"

All eyes were directed at the noble.

"Oh my!" Inoue gasped, hands covering her mouth. "You look so dashing!" She blushed immediately after her outburst and hurriedly went to sip her tea.

Urahara studied the Captain of the Sixth Division from behind the safety of his fan. "The human look suits you well…careful Kuchiki-sama, the women in the real world are a lot bolder here."

Byakuya sniffed.

Ishida and Chad didn't seem interested, but Ichigo just stared. He was speechless at first, his insides tightened and his dick gave a firm twitch of appreciation. He sighed inwardly at his traitorous body. There was no doubt, there was no amount of sake or running that would cure this strange attraction he discovered. One that apparently was getting stronger by the second, he noticed. Did he ever look  _good_  in those jeans, they fit him perfectly. However, the man still held a graceful air about him, his body language sure and confident as always.

"You're just like a regular guy," the vizard expressed quietly, simply overwhelmed to see the man dressed so casually.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Byakuya remarked shortly.

Ichigo looked away uncomfortably and fingered that charm he wore. He wished Zero would just hurry up and come after them already so he could go on with his life the way it had been—simple and uncomplicated with less dick-twitching. But, did he really want that? Ichigo sat silently trying not to stare at Byakuya's new look, or his soft loose hair, or how those jeans did things to his butt…good things.

"So, where are you staying?" Urahara questioned the captain, "Feel free to stay here if you wish. We have plenty spare rooms."

"Great," jeered Jinta the red-headed boy, "Another free-loader."

"Free-loader?" quizzed Byakuya suspiciously.

"That's what they call Abarai-san," Inoue said merrily.

The shopkeeper glanced at the busty woman with alarm for a moment, "It's just a nickname, Kuchiki-sama. We love having Renji-san here."

The noble said nothing.

"Well, the offer still stands," Urahara reassured Byakuya, "Shall I have a room prepared?"

"I…well…"

Ichigo shot up to his feet, "Byakuya can stay with me!" Then he flustered a little and tried to explain in a rush, "I mean, what's the point of having a guard if he's not actually  _guarding_  me?"  _Fail!_

Urahara perked up one eyebrow peculiarly.

Byakuya remained silent, but he was watching Ichigo vigilantly.

"Ok then," Urahara said with an unreadable face. "Would you like a complimentary soul pill dispenser, Kuchiki-sama?"

Ururu held out a handful of different ones resembling Pez dispensers. They came in cutesy childish colours and resembled different animals.

"I'll pass," the noble declined distastefully.

"Can I have one, Master?" Senbonzakura wondered hopefully.

"No."


	7. In His Room

"I wonder why that Zero guy didn't attack us as soon as we showed up?" wondered Ichigo as they walked down the street headed towards his house.

It was still late spring in Karakura Town, the air was warmer today, but the sky was overcast. Grey clouds overhead held the promise of rain soon to come. Under their feet and all over the roads and sidewalks were littered with fallen cherry blossoms. Soon the trees all around them would be shed empty of their flowers. They never lasted that long.

"I presume he is still licking his wounds," Byakuya offered.

Recognition lit up Ichigo's features, "You did a number on him, huh?"

"Unfortunately not enough," the noble said regrettably. He looked over at Ichigo and added, "There is something that concerns me, however. When I read your report on the incident you mentioned that you could hear his voice when Rukia could not."

"That's right."

"I see…then detecting him might not work well. He's got that to his advantage, we'll need to stay on our guard. Naturally, he will try to get you alone. Inform me if you notice anything as I may not be able to detect," Byakuya requested, directing his eyes off of Ichigo's handsome features and gazing straight ahead. He observed the living world as he passed it, miles of concrete and posts with multitudes of wire and lamps. Odd shaped buildings that were random in design and architecture. And a maze of roads with painted lines on them, trees stuck in various arbitrary places. It seemed so cluttered.

They walked under a train track bridge. Behind them Kon followed. He was listening to the conversation half-heartedly.

"But now we know how he works…sort of."

"And we will crush him next time," Byakuya promised darkly.

The vizard looked at the firm set of Byakuya's jaw and mouth sharply. The fervent way the noble had just spoken. It stirred things inside of him. This soul reaper was serious and he'd spoke of them as a team. Ichigo felt obliged to say, "For sure, we'll kick his ass."

Byakuya scoffed. It sounded amused though.

"Did you hear about what he said about that shinigami he…he ate," Ichigo reminded, on the verge of irate. It pissed him off so much! People like that. "Do you think a similar thing happened to him like what happened to Rukia and me?"

The noble met Ichigo's gaze again. It brought him back to that dark rainy night—leaving this man, a mere boy at the time, still a boy in comparison to his own two centuries of life, in the rain to die, alone. He'd stabbed him straight through, mercilessly. Byakuya knew he had been a different man back then. His only consolation now was that Ichigo had refused to die.

"I do not know, but it appears he took advantage of that shinigami, who, on top of that, broke the law when he transferred his powers to Zero. We don't know if this shinigami knew the process of Hollowfication or if it happened by chance, the latter is most probable," replied the noble. "Soul Society is going through archives to see if they can find a shinigami that matches Zero's story—a possible deserter, a rogue. It will take time since we have no idea how long ago it happened."

Ichigo made an acknowledgeable sound in his throat. "I can't believe that guy has Hollow powers like I do, and manages to wield his zanpakuto while still in that form. I wonder how long it took for him to control it."

Byakuya didn't know what else to say. Instead, he regarded how Ichigo strode with his hands stuffed in his light jean pockets. He, too, placed his hands into his pockets, the position felt awkward inside of jeans. He'd never worn the like, he was used to formal attire whenever he'd come to the real world.

Shrugging off all talk of crazed-Hollow-soul-reapers for now, the tawny-haired man took note of Byakuya's mimicking and smiled with amusement. "You almost have it right, Byakuya. But you're holding yourself too stiffly. You need to relax your arms a little, bend them at the elbow. Otherwise, you look like a punk with an attitude."

A punk with an attitude…? Byakuya could have nearly burst out laughing. The noble seemed reluctant at first, but then he let his stature drop a degree and appeared completely at ease.

"You're a natural," Ichigo extolled, chuckling softly. It didn't surprise him that Byakuya could make anything he wore look cool and dignified even if he was wearing a pair of Converse running shoes.

They approached Ichigo's family home which was also a medical clinic. It wasn't a huge place, but it looked inviting and tidy on the outside. It was situated in a neighborhood, a suburban area. It wasn't crowded with people and it wasn't noisy. Occasionally a car drove past or a person walking a dog.

"Don't let my family freak you out," Ichigo warned, "They're good people and they don't mean any harm even if they can be sorta…enthusiastic."

"Lies! His family is nuts-o!" Kon finally spoke up, "Stay away from the nice one, she's eviiiill!"

The noble chewed on that.

"Just follow me," Ichigo explained, scowling at Kon before he entered the house.

"Your father is a doctor, he must be very intelligent," the noble commented as they crossed the threshold, standing in the foyer. Off to the right was the kitchen and on the left up ahead, a set of stairs. Further into the house, straight ahead, there was a sitting room. The colours were soft and light and the home was modernly furnished.

"Kyyaaaaa!" went a powerful cry startling both men.

Ichigo immediately took a defensive stance, ready to strike down or dodge his ill-mannered father. The attack never came. His father calmly appeared before them as he strode out of the kitchen in his lab coat, bright red Hawaiian print shirt underneath. Some things never change…

"Ha! I tricked you, Ichigo!" his father exclaimed, hands on his belly laughing at the discomfort on his sons' face. "I already told you that I have taught you all that you need to know…but you  _still_ fell for it!"

Ichigo gave his signature frown. "I'm not a kid anymore, Dad!" he hollered at the older man with short black hair, face covered in five o'clock shadow scruff. "Why don't you go shave that squirrel off you face."

Isshin looked wounded and turned to speak solemnly to a picture of Ichigo's mother that hung on the wall, Masaki. The large-framed picture showed a woman with flowing red hair, smooth complexion and a gentle smile on her tiny mouth. "This, my darling, is your son. He's such a meanie! What have I done wrong?"

"Dad!" charged Ichigo, embarrassed with these antics in front of Rukia's brother.

Isshin turned back towards Ichigo and finally regarded the slightly older, taller man next to his son. The guy appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His eyebrows perked, he smelled noble blood. "Who's this?" asked his father inquisitively.

"This is Kuchiki Byakuya, Rukia's older brother…he's going to be staying with us for awhile," Ichigo stated without doubt, giving a soft shrug of his shoulders as if it was nothing.

"Well, why didn't you say so!" voiced Isshin loudly, "Any family of Rukia's is my family, too!"

"I did just say…" Ichigo mumbled tiredly under his breath.

 _This_  was Ichigo's intelligent father? Byakuya wondered skeptically.

"Welcome home, Ichi-nii," his sister Karin said as her and his other younger sister Yuzu came down the stairs.

"We were worried about you, Onii-chan," Yuzu stated softly, her eyes landed on Kon, "Bostov! You've come back, too!"

Kon fell limply to the floor.

"Don't fret my daughters," said their father, "Ichigo comes and goes but he always returns—this time with Rukia's brother."

Ichigo's twin sisters were both looking much more like young women now. They were sixteen going on seventeen in a few weeks. But unlike some twins, these two appeared and acted completely different. Yuzu had light brown hair, which was longer now and more feminine—she constantly reminded Ichigo of their mother. She was more maternal, whereas Karin was often like a little brother to him in her tomboy way. Karin still wore her black hair at shoulder length and was still a sports nut.

They stood there regarding him, or rather, Byakuya.

Ichigo sighed.

Byakuya was used to the stares and gawking he received on a daily basis. It was all part of coming from an upper class family. It was natural for others to stare at those they looked up upon, or down…depending on which family you were from. Naturally he was from a dignified family and not many ever  _dared_  looked down their noses at him. However, Ichigo's family was staring at him for reasons other than his status. This made Byakuya hold his chin firm and caused him to square his shoulders even more. Inside he was squirming.

He had to play his part; he gave a small bow in greeting and said in an even tone, "It's a pleasure to meet you all, my sister Rukia regards you highly. Thank you for allowing me refuge here."

Ichigo flashed the noble an eye.

Byakuya ignored Ichigo.

"Really?! I didn't know Rukia even had a brother," Yuzu exclaimed, enthralled with this news. "You're going to have to tell me what your favorite things to eat are so I can make them."

The Captain of the Sixth thought about that and nodded.

Karin just stood there with her arms crossed across her chest in silent observation.

"Come on," Ichigo said and urged Byakuya to remove his shoes and put on a light blue pair of house slippers, and then to follow him up to his room.

Glad to get away from the eyes of the Kurosaki family at the moment, Byakuya gave no protest.

Isshin watched his son and the other shinigami ascend the stairs, disappearing down the hall. He wondered if he'd done well in hiding his own reiatsu from the noble. Oh, there was no question about it; he knew what noble spiritual energy felt like, and he'd heard the name Kuchiki. He knew Rukia was noble too, but not by blood, and he also knew she had a brother. But what was _that_ noble from one of the Great Four Houses doing here with Ichigo? The man had to be a Captain of the Sixth, Kuchiki's always were, that he was sure. As for his sons' energy…well, there was something very odd about it, it felt, in one word, frustrated.

"Dad, should we eavesdrop?" Yuzu questioned eagerly, looking towards the stairs just like her father.

Karin gaped at them. "No! What's wrong with you two? Ichigo is a grown man, he deserves his privacy!" she wailed.

"But Karin…" whined her father like a child. "As a father it's my duty to spy on my kids, to ensure their well being of course."

She simply glared at her father and snorted. "I will take no part in your perverted behavior!"

* * *

Ichigo pushed open his bedroom door which no longer had the number 15 on the front of it. That was for kids. Although, that was gone, his room hadn't changed that much since he was fifteen. The bed with the white cross on the blue spread was still there, the desk with his computer on the right—the closet behind him. He still had thoughts of finding his own place but he didn't make that much money. He earned a few bucks working part-time at Tatsuki Arisawa's martial arts dojo, a place that brought him comforting memories of his mother.

And he enjoyed working with the kids. Kids just seemed drawn to him like magnets, he couldn't understand it.

As one of his oldest friends' Tatsuki gladly offered him the part-time job, knowing full well what he really was the other part of the time, a shinigami substitute for Karakura Town. So at times when he didn't show up, she understood why.

Right now, Ichigo was all too aware that Byakuya was inside his bedroom. His bedroom!  _Alone!_  That's when he suddenly felt the brunt of his own inner turmoil regarding said noble. He was able to distract himself when was at Urahara's and while talking about Zero, but now…

He spun around and watched as Byakuya shut the door, his palms began to perspire and his brain felt numb, his throat felt tight. It felt like he was about to ask Byakuya out to the prom or something.  _Gawd_! In all of the years he's known this man, he's never once stepped inside of his room. The vizard noted those grey eyes landing on him first, and then casually scanned the expanse of his small bedroom.

Ichigo never before felt that his bedroom seemed so inadequate before.

"So, this is where Rukia stays when she's in the real world," Byakuya stated indifferently.

The human shinigami wasn't sure if Byakuya was trying to diss him or what. "Why? Does it not meet your standards?" he huffed, feeling all defensive suddenly.

The Kuchiki heir cast a frown at Ichigo. "I wasn't implying…"

"Then what  _are_  you implying?" Ichigo asked heatedly, receiving an icy glare from Byakuya now.

"I'm not sure what your problem is, but I could stay at that shopkeeper's place if you find my presence here so offensive," the man offered curtly. "Perhaps you are jumping to your own conclusions where there are none."

Ichigo felt greatly stupid just then. He sighed, "No…I don't find your presence offensive. I apologize for stereotyping you. I just figured….I thought…"

"You decided for me that since I come from noble relations and are privileged to comforts, that I'm arrogant towards your living conditions." Had everyone forgotten where his late wife had come from? He may have his pride but there had been times when status and title meant nothing for something he'd wanted so desperately. Enough to break the rules even…

"Um…something like that," Ichigo murmured, trying not to turn scarlet.

"Well, it  _is_  a rather small room," Byakuya commented lightly.

Ichigo guffawed and gawked at the raven-haired man.

"It was a joke," Byakuya claimed dryly.

The human shinigami wore a deadpanned look on his face, right eye twitching.

"Where does Rukia sleep?"

The question brought Ichigo's face back to normal, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Suddenly Byakuya's eyebrows knotted closer together.

"Whoa! What's  _that_  look for? She sleeps in my closet! Where do you think I meant?" the younger man explained taking a seat on the bed as an afterthought. It creaked a little with the effort. Ichigo could have died. "Look," he added, "Rukia and I are just friends', that's it."

"I'm well aware."

Ichigo blinked, "Wha…?"

Byakuya ignored Ichigo and turned around. He slid the door to the closet open. Inside, midway was a cot with a pillow and a blanket. There was a set of yellow sleeping clothing neatly folded on top. And on the walls in the dim light he saw Rukia's drawings taped up. Underneath the cot were small boxes of what he guessed were belongings of Ichigo's or Rukia's. Sigh. The details Rukia forgets to mention when they chat, and after all this time. But for this he could understand why.

"You don't have to sleep there. She's so tiny but you're…" Ichigo paused as he forced the word out, "…larger." He added, "If you like you can have my bed; I'll sleep on the floor." There was no reason to put Byakuya out too much.

"It's fine. I'm accustomed to a futon on the floor anyways, I would prefer it," the captain suggested.

"Oh, right. I forgot," Ichigo said trying to look anywhere but at Byakuya's pretty face. "Well, until that guy returns or we have Hollows to kill, it's not all that exciting, my life."

This time Byakuya returned his eyes to Ichigo's.

The human felt the heat he couldn't stop rise to his face, he suddenly stood up and charged past Byakuya and took a seat in the chair at his computer desk. "I should do my homework. I bet you didn't know, but that's what I do when I'm bored," he said in a rush. Distraction!

Raised eyebrows decorated Byakuya's face. It was interesting when Ichigo divulged tiny bits of his true self, because he barely talked of himself at all. That really, after all the fighting bravado he was just a man, like him, searching for something, using his time to create and ponder. It was exactly how he would describe his life after the bravado as well…it wasn't all that exciting either. He didn't even like the family functions he was forced to attend, full of pretentious airs and fakery. But he did play the game well.

"Is that what you are now, bored?" the captain inquired, curious about the way Ichigo was acting around him.

"No!" *headdesk* "I mean, well, we don't have anything to do right now. I kind of got my second wind, heh. I really have a paper overdue. Rukia will be disappointed if I don't do it."

"Oh?" wondered the older soul reaper.

"It's for our art appreciation class. It's one of my electives. Your sister talked me into it, she loves that class. But I'm not cut out for artsy things, although I don't want to fail it either," Ichigo said with a shrug and turned on his computer.

"Yes, I do remember she came to me requesting an interview," the noble recalled. Suddenly, Byakuya had an intriguing thought, but he'd keep it to himself for now. "What do you study?" he wondered, trying to understand Ichigo's real world education better.

"Psychology and social work. I'll graduate with a bachelor's degree in two and a half months," Ichigo revealed. "I'm good with people…young people. I just want to help. I have to do something while I'm still alive and living in the real world, right?" He gave an anxious backward glance at Byakuya who was still standing in the middle of his room.

Ichigo thought he heard a light snort.

"What? Do you think I don't have what it takes? Think I let my grades slip because I'm your guys' substitute?" Ichigo charged proudly, "I'll have you know I'm at the top of my class."

"I had no idea," the noble quipped sarcastically, refusing to elaborate.

In fact, Byakuya was effortlessly learning more about Ichigo than he ever knew before simply by making him edgy with his presence. It tickled that he was able to get such a rise out of him so easily. In truth, he hadn't really known Ichigo was a smart student or that he led a dull life beyond his shinigami duties. Byakuya felt a bit humbled that he may have judged Ichigo so wrongly in the past. Though, it wasn't like they'd ever gotten this chance to get to know one another on a more personal level.

But, why was this tawny-haired man acting so petulant around him, and more so now than ever before?

Perhaps, he could not be helped.

Ichigo stared blankly at the screen. He couldn't concentrate on this essay on Rodin the sculptor. All he could think about was the man in his room. The powerful soul reaper in normal, everyday clothes actually talking to him like a real person—a bit of a smart ass at that if you ask him. The guy that had made his dick twitch earlier. The more Byakuya let down his noble guard and pompous holier-than-thou crap, the more Ichigo found him undeniably attractive.

"You're the one that must be bored?" Ichigo offered resignedly. "Do whatever you do in your spare time I guess. You could freshen up if you feel like it. The bathroom is down the hall to your right. Or, if you're brave enough to venture downstairs, there's food if you're hungry. But my guess is Yuzu is about to cook up a storm soon. You could watch television, or read…"

There was a knock at the door.

"You see, Yuzu is already on a mission." Ichigo sighed.

"She's merely being a proper hostess," Byakuya replied. He walked over to the door and opened it, surprising the younger Kurosaki.

"Kuchiki-san, I didn't expect you to answer. Though, I came to ask you about what you might like for dinner tonight. I can make anything you like," Yuzu offered, unable to hide her shyness. "I…I cook for Rukia-san all the time."

Byakuya looked down at the small girl and caught sight of Kon sneaking past them, and into the room while the door was open like a Shinobi ninja. Skulking with his back pressed against the door. How bizarre.

Well, he had to make a choice.

Either he stayed in this room and watched Ichigo stare at his glowing screen. Or, he could brave the Kurosaki's and follow Yuzu to the kitchen. Though, he enjoyed torturing Ichigo while he was all moody and sifting truths out of him. He thought it might be best to let him concentrate on his so-called 'homework'. He knew himself that he loathed being constantly disturbed when he was working or having someone milling around him.

He had placed himself in this situation after all, and he couldn't very well spend it standing in Ichigo's bedroom. On top of that, his status meant nothing here. It…it couldn't hurt to let down his guard a little bit.

"Take me to your kitchen, and I will tell you," the noble claimed to the sibling. He heard Ichigo shift in his chair sharply.

"Where are you going?" asked Ichigo hastily.

"I believe you already know the answer to that," Byakuya countered, as if Ichigo should know better. "You don't really expect me to dwell in this minuscule room all day, do you?"

Ichigo heard his door shut and footfalls fading down the stairs. Why that stuck up…!

"That guy can be a real  _smooth_  operator when he wants to be," Kon said observantly. "He's definitely fearless. Walking off willingly with that beast, alone..." The lion plushie shuddered.

Then Kon squared his eyes on Ichigo and pointed an angry paw at him. "How could you just leave me down there?! I had to wait until everyone was distracted, and sneak up here like a criminal in my own home!" he complained loudly, pained by Ichigo's selfishness.

But Ichigo wasn't paying any attention to Kon. He picked up the substitute shinigami badge he'd gotten from Ukitake long ago that sat next to the desk lamp. It was a heavy medallion that would glow when Hollows were near. He palmed the item and wondered what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time…


	8. Some Like It Hot

Determined not to give Byakuya fuel for anymore of his flippant comments, Ichigo pushed himself to finish his essay before he went to find out what the noble was up to. It was getting close to dinner time. Ichigo could tell by the grumble in his belly and the wonderful aroma of cooking food coming from downstairs.

Thinking about one's sexual preference, and about a mad shinigami-human-Hollow that had made it his aspiration to kill him,  _and_  writing an essay on an eccentric sculptor could make a person ravenous.

Perhaps he was putting too much pressure on himself. Ichigo thought. He knew he held no grudge against anyone's predilection and he shouldn't be so disturbed about his own. So, he found Rukia's brother…hot. It wasn't like he went around with a hard-on for every guy passing his line of vision. It wasn't like that. Only Byakuya had caused such a reaction.

The vizard hung his head in defeat.

He was a psychology student for heaven sake! If he couldn't acknowledge his own feelings then how could he ever begin to understand anyone else's? Alright, but then what…?

Then nothing! Byakuya was here to help him deal with Zero, and when that psycho came back looking for a fight, they'd be ready. Yup, exactly! Ichigo reminded himself to  _try_  and focus on that. He was being so foolish. Byakuya didn't have time to waste on him. What if he just messed everything up and ended up making Byakuya hate him all over again? It was kind of nice to have this peaceful comrade with the man. He didn't want to lose that. However, a full breath later he'd already forgotten about 'trying' to focus when he found himself wondering if Byakuya snored while he slept _. Argh!_  He couldn't stop thinking about him! It was like he'd been sucked into an alternate universe beyond his control! Ichigo sighed.

He'd just have to put up with the noble who seemed so much more relaxed here, and who was currently hanging out with his little sister! Ichigo gave a thoughtful smile. Yeah, even guys like Byakuya needed a break. He pushed himself out of the chair, leaving the computer on and headed downstairs. Ichigo heard his sister Yuzu and Byakuya talking in the kitchen.

"So, how long have you known onii-chan?" she asked.

Ichigo halted in the hallway before entering the kitchen, listening.

"Four human years," answered Byakuya with his flawless deep voice.

"Human years...? That's a strange way to put it," the girl responded. Then there was the distinct sound of a faucet running and a clang of a dish being set on the drying rack. "My onii-chan will be twenty-one in July, that's only about three months away. How old are you?"

There was a lengthy pause before the reply, "Twenty-six."

"Is that human years?" Yuzu teased. "I'm sorry I asked that. It was rude of me, but your age is so hard to figure out. You seem like someone in their mid twenties but you talk like you're a lot older."

No reply.

"Would you like some more tea, Bya-kun? Dinner is almost ready," she offered. There was a pause and she asked worriedly, "Gee, I hope I haven't offended you."

_Bya-kun?!_

"Rest assured you have not. And no thank you. I don't want to spoil my appetite," Byakuya explained.

* * *

"How long do you plan on eavesdropping?"

Ichigo nearly shed out of his skin. He looked stricken at his other sister, Karin. A blush rose to his face at being caught spying. "I…I wasn't eavesdropping," Ichigo stammered.

"Sure. Whatever… Just tell me one thing, Ichi-nii. What is  _he_  doing here?" Karin demanded, taking a defiant stance, one hand on her hip the other thumbing towards the kitchen.

"What does it matter to you?" was the vizard's retort.

"It matters because you're my brother and I can tell what he is, like you. And because you're acting weird, what's wrong?" she pursued, holding nothing back. Her spiritual awareness had gotten much more acute over the years and she didn't hide it from her brother anymore.

Ichigo frowned. "Nothing, I'm not acting like anything. It's personal, alright."

"Just…don't get hurt," she warned and wandered into the kitchen.

Ichigo stood there gazing after her. What kind of hurt was she implying? Or was it just his imagination and paranoia? Shrugging it off, he entered the bright kitchen. Yuzu was at the stove stirring something in a pan with her white apron on. Karin was gathering plates to set the table. Byakuya was sitting at the table with his back to him.

"Onii-chan!" announced Yuzu, wooden spoon in hand, and awarding him with a soft smile. "Rukia's brother seems to really know about cooking. He taught me a new recipe!"

"Did he now?" Ichigo quipped dryly, catching the noble's cool eye as he glanced over his shoulder at him.

"Yes. Could you go call Dad? Dinner is ready," she said.

Ichigo turned listlessly to find his father when the man burst into the kitchen full of piss and vinegar as usual.

"Your loving daddy is here!" he broadcasted happily. "I'm starving! So many sick people and so little time!"

Ichigo groaned at his strange father and took a seat across from Byakuya. He smirked at the soul reaper and taunted, "I see you've managed to fit right in."

"Does that surprise you, Ichigo?" the noble answered composedly.

It did surprise him but he wasn't about to tell Byakuya that. Ichigo had to admit, he didn't know how Byakuya could be outside of the 'job'. How he was in a regular, real world setting like this one and somewhere not anywhere near the Kuchiki manor. Unless you counted the beach but that was so long ago, and he'd rather forget the monstrous 'whack-a' watermelons.

Ichigo didn't answer Byakuya, instead he said, "Well, I hope you're hungry, Yuzu cooks enough for an army."

"That's if Ichi-nii's actually  _here_  to eat it," Karin pointed out dryly, setting dishes and chopsticks out.

"Ichigo is a busy young man; don't be so hard on him, Karin. There's so much demand at that age. Education, wild parties, chasing romance and doing 'guy' things…phew," expressed his father dramatically, taking a seat at the head of the table.

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

Karin resumed her seat next to Byakuya and Yuzu set down a big bowl of rice, a platter of saucy sautéed chicken on top of a bed of caramelized onions, and a steaming tray of vegetables. Then she took off her apron and pulled up a chair next to Ichigo. Their dad sat at the head of the table closest to his daughters. Yuzu bowed her head in a manner of grace and wished everyone at the table her blessing of peace and well being.

Everyone began to help themselves.

Just as Ichigo was about to sample the chicken on his plate, he asked, "This looks good, what do you call this new recipe that 'Bya-kun' taught you?" He popped the piece of meat into his mouth. Instantly, Ichigo's eyes shot open and his face began to turn red!

"It's Spicy Chicken Nanban. It's generally made with half of one  _takanotsume_  chile but Byakuya-san told me he likes the whole thing added. Oh, and a dash of  _shichimi_ …it's a blend of chilli pepper, mandarin orange zest, sesame seed, hemp seed and…ah…what was the other parts?" She looked over at Byakuya for an answer.

"Nori and ground sansho," the Gotei captain claimed nonchalantly before biting into the chicken gracefully.

"Right—I had this stuff all along, and I never knew what to use to for," she said pleased and flashed Byakuya a happy grin.

Ichigo was gulping down some water noisily. He came up for air, "It's hot!"

Isshin was doing the same, "I can't feel my taste buds."

Karin gave her brother and her father a pathetic look, "You guys are such wimps! It's not that hot…I like it." She ate her chicken nanban with gusto.

Yuzu seemed to totally agree.

Ichigo managed to eat most of his meal with the help of a lot of water. He spied Byakuya who seemed to devour his food with perfect etiquette, not even a bead of sweat on his elegant face to give away the fact that this stuff  _was_  HOT!

Isshin sniffled, the spice clearing his sinuses, "I think I killed every microorganism in my body."

Byakuya wanted to simper, feeling like a boy that had just pulled the ultimate prank on the Kurosaki's. But of course, he refrained. "Yuzu-chan, I'm pleased with how well you prepared this meal. I enjoyed it immensely. You have my thanks," he said placing his chopsticks on his plate to confirm he was finished.

"Would you like dessert?" Yuzu asked their guest.

The noble appeared hesitant.

"It's mango sorbet. I even made strawberry compote to garnish it with," she insisted.

"If you insist," Byakuya replied, trying not to divulge any eagerness.

At the prospect of cold food Ichigo nearly begged for some, too.

"Of course, onii-chan," Yuzu said politely.

* * *

After dinner they went back upstairs to his bedroom. Ichigo told Byakuya it was time to do a patrol, and that he could come along if he wished. He explained it was something he did as often as he could—patrol Karakura Town and ridding it of any Hollows that could be wreaking havoc, or burying any lost souls.

Ichigo grabbed the substitute badge and with a surge of blue energy withdrew his shinigami form, leaving his human body slumped on the bed like dead weight. The noble looked at the younger man who stood tall and sure in his shinigami uniform, his stance bordered on arrogant when he wore that cocky expression on his face, his reiatsu spilling out wantonly.

In the beginning Byakuya found it annoying. Now, he thought Ichigo had earned the right to flaunt it.

The human soul reaper was confident; in battle he often let it go to his head. Byakuya couldn't claim anything less of his own arrogance in battle. Anyone with half a brain knew better than to pick a fight with him. Though, he enjoyed Ichigo more outside of battle mode…his eyes were warmer, softer.

Feeling content after dinner, Byakuya thought the idea of scouting out the town and getting some fresh air sounded pleasing. Perhaps they might get lucky and find some action. Byakuya didn't want to grow stiff and meagre on his mission in the human world, and if Yuzu kept feeding him like that, well… With ease he separated himself from the gigai, which landed next to Ichigo's body on the bed.

Ichigo peered over at the Gotei captain who was back in his uniform and noble gear. For some reason he gave the man a soft smile and said, "Let's go."

Out of the window, Byakuya jumped after Ichigo. They took to the wet rooftops of the quiet residential neighbourhood, at first wishing to burn off some caged energy. Seems it must have rained lightly sometime before dinner, but it was no longer drizzling. It felt good to be moving, warming up muscles and driving their blood to rush.

It started out calmly, but then grew into a swift game of shunpo show-off.

Ichigo was no match for Byakuya.

"You can't keep up when you're not in bankai," Byakuya pointed out as they came to a stop on top of a tall building rooftop, the stars above now twinkling like flickering flashlights millions of miles away.

Puffing, Ichigo guffawed and grinned slyly, "Is that bragging I hear, Byakuya? I'm determined to meet your speed  _without_  bankai."

The noble could not resist, "One more time then?"

"You're on!"

Ichigo gave it everything he had; the world flew by in a blur. It was always exhilarating no matter how long he'd been doing this. And when he got to do it for fun…that was even better!  _But damn!_  Byakuya was like an illusionist, performing intricate tricks over the rooftops of the city. Just when Ichigo thought he'd outwitted the guy, Byakuya would prove him wrong, stopping to flash him that arrogant gleam of prowess on his shadowed face before he took off again. Ichigo found the entire game very entertaining.

Who knew Byakuya could be so much fun to hang out with.

"I believe I have worn you out. You've become even slower," Byakuya taunted as Ichigo met up with him now on top of a twenty-four hour convenient store.

Ichigo bent over to catch his breath, "Damn…I swear one day, I'll be able to keep up."

Byakuya said nothing because he knew that Ichigo could achieve anything he put his mind to.

"Some of those steps I've never seen before. I thought I had all your moves figured out. Where'd you learn that?" Ichigo inquired curiously.

The captain studied the human calmly. "From an old friend," Byakuya answered, "Perhaps one day, I'll teach you...if you're interested." The special flash steps taught to him by Yoruichi had probably saved his life a few times.

"Of course I'm interested. I wanna know what else you got," Ichigo insisted eagerly.

Byakuya remained quiet, watching Ichigo.

"Let's just walk for a bit," the vizard suggested.

The noble nodded and they hopped off the rooftop, landing softly on sandaled feet below. They stood in front of the entrance to the store and proceeded down the street. It was a lot busier in this part of town. People roamed the streets alone or in groups or as couples, going to one of the many restaurants or shops. There were even a few street performers putting on a show of singing, one was even juggling fire. Night clubs had their doors open, allowing the music inside to spill into the street as they passed.

The only time Byakuya stopped was to look at a car. A sophisticated, grey Aston Martin Vanquish, which shined under a streetlamp like a few million yen.

"You like that?" Ichigo asked amused, thinking that this car was  _right_  up Byakuya's ally. He chuckled to himself. Even Byakuya could be a typical guy.

"Your methods of transportation are interesting," Byakuya revealed, eyes still examining the car with obvious appreciation.

The vizard explained aghast, "Just so you know, that machine you're looking at costs a mint!"

Byakuya didn't seem fazed by that. He walked away from the car and they continued down the street. "Do you know how to operate one of those?" he wondered.

"Of course, I have my license for a car and for a motorcycle, but I never thought much about it," Ichigo told the older shinigami honestly.

Byakuya made a sound of comprehension. "What's a motorcycle?" he then asked, not sure if he'd seen one of those before.

Beaming just then, Ichigo told the captain to follow him and led them down a different street. Fifteen minutes later they stood out front of a large building with tall, thick glass windows. And behind that clear glass were some of  _the_  coolest motorcycles known to Japan, and to Ichigo. Yamaha, Harley Davison, Ducati, Buell, BMW and Suzuki models and so on. These were some of the world's top class bikes. It was testosterone heaven! Every kind of design a person could dream of. This was a special place Ichigo, Ishida, Chad and Keigo sometimes came to, to simply stare and ogle the bikes.

Ichigo was nearly drooling on the windows.

There was a rare sparkle in the noble's eye. He remembered seeing these before. Indeed, these machines were very attractive and held a hidden promise of power. Byakuya decided he liked these machines just a little more than he liked the cars. He wondered what it would feel like to ride one. Glancing over at Ichigo, he chuffed to himself. The younger man stood looking at the motorcycles with love in his eyes. It was quite endearing.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Ichigo peeled himself off the glass and looked excitedly over at Byakuya.

"They are appealing," replied Byakuya genuinely.

"Come on," Ichigo urged Byakuya to continue their walk.

Soon they found themselves wandering down a sidewalk full of people and noise again, even though the people couldn't see them. There didn't seem to be anything else that interesting to give their attention to. This definitely wasn't the kind of night time stroll that Byakuya would imagine taking on his own, but his eyes were watching. Compared to home this was so busy and noisy.

"Not your kind of scene, huh?" Ichigo asked, as if reading Byakuya's mind.

"It's…it's all the same," replied the noble, trying to find the right words.

"It might seem that way, but it depends on how you look at it, from which perspective. Come on, I'll show you something else," he told his voluntary guardian and flash-stepped out of sight.

Appearing next to the human shinigami, Byakuya questioned, "Where are you taking me now?"

"Patience Kuchiki-taicho, you'll see," Ichigo said good-naturedly, "Trust me."

Byakuya grunted softly at that, but he followed.

About five minutes later, they arrived on the outskirts of Karakura Town in a more rural, open area at the top of a grassy escarpment. It was overlooking the entire town.

Byakuya gazed over the landscape, and his eyes widened. It was as if the night sky had fallen, creating a black sea with the stars as the fish. They almost appeared to be moving across the endless vast pond as they twinkled. Multitudes of light in various shades, hues and tints—Byakuya thought he could stand here all night and view this. It was mesmerizing and peaceful here.

"So, what do you think? Nice, right?" murmured Ichigo.

"Yes," answered Byakuya. This drab town didn't appear as such from here, and he was astounded to have this notion revealed to him by Ichigo. The view was quite breathtaking. How this less experienced man ceaselessly surprised him with such delicate insight and sensitivity was beyond him. He was reassured that the kind of man that appeared in his dream, was the same as the one that stood next to him now.

After a long quiet moment, Ichigo broke it with a question. "Can I ask you something, Byakuya?" He levelled his sights on the noble directly, "Why did you volunteer for this?"

Byakuya felt his heart begin to pace, fluttering behind his ribcage like a caged Hell butterfly. Did he give the  _real_  reason, the whole truth, or a made up reason? No, he didn't like deceit, avoidance yes, but lying was beneath him. Inside, his mind nagged to tell Ichigo the truth; he'd gotten this far, right? But he feared Ichigo's reaction, that rejection he was certain to encounter.

Instead, Byakuya decided to use Ichigo's own terminology on him.

"Because…I wanted to," he said with purpose.

Ichigo frowned and flashed the noble a complex stare. His eyes shimmered with a combination of astonishment, bafflement and raw inquiry.

In the shadow of the night their eyes studied each other for a heavy breathless moment…

The substitute's first reaction was to say, 'Hey, that's my line!', but Ichigo bit his tongue. Was Byakuya mocking him or simply evading the question? Just because he wanted to come here and guard him didn't answer  _why_  that was so important. He could have let someone else take the job. Why him? Why now? This is what Ichigo really wanted to know. Because if he knew the answer then he might know if the noble was thinking the same thing he was right now, that if they kept staring at each other this way that he was going to have to kiss him.

But Byakuya looked away first, and this time, Ichigo didn't miss it.

"Heh," sounded the vizard.

The noble was silently berating himself for his current ocular mishap when he felt a surge of reiatsu. Byakuya jerked in the direction of the spirit pressure, the brief heated moment forgotten. The badge on Ichigo's cloth belt was glowing and wavering around, squalling.

Both soul reapers raced off the cliff and headed in the direction of the distinct spiritual pressure. It was fairly close by and they came to a stop in a dark, empty alley way behind a row of houses. To their right was a tall, block stone wall and on the other side of it a cemetery.

Their sandaled feet padded softly over the pavement as they cautiously walked forward.

"I don't see anything," Ichigo whispered.

There was a scream.

Byakuya and Ichigo spun around as two young people ran towards them, their chains of fate broken on their chests. It was a girl and a boy around the age of ten. Both had light brown hair, freckles on the crests of their cheeks and similar facial features. They appeared to be twins.

The two hadn't even noticed them yet. They stopped suddenly, and their eyes widened.

There was an ear-splitting roar behind the soul reapers, thunderous and terrifying. It shook the ground they stood on.

Ichigo tore up into the air without a second thought.

Byakuya stood there, Senbonzakura firmly in his right hand. He looked up just in time to see Ichigo hacking down on the white, boney mask of a gigantic, eight-legged Hollow that resembled a spider. His sword easily halved the beast which gave its final cry of terror. It dissipated into the night.

It was a piece of cake for Ichigo. Silence encumbered the night once more.

Ichigo landed solidly on his feet and grunted at the satisfaction of destroying that Hollow. He was about to slap his sword to his back when he remembered the two souls that needed soul burying. But when he turned around, he saw Byakuya was already moving towards them. Ichigo began to walk over slowly, but stopped midway. He realized he'd never witnessed Byakuya doing a soul burial before and he couldn't bring himself to interrupt. Ichigo kept his distance and watched the older shinigami quietly.

The boy and girl were so frightened. Clinging to one another, their eyes growing wider the closer the soul reaper approached. The girl whimpered.

However, the boy braved, "Are…are you a ghost? You can…see us?"

"No, I am not a ghost. And yes, I can see you," said Byakuya in a tone so soft, Ichigo was sure it came from another man.

Now the girl stopped her fearful sounds. She asked nervously, "What are you, mister?"

Byakuya closed his eyes briefly, and then knelt before the two souls. He opened them and said, "A pathway home."

"Home?" the twins said together.

"I really want to go home," pleaded the girl, and tears began coursing down her translucent face.

The boy spoke morosely, "We've been lost for so long. There…there was this fire. I went looking for my sister; she was hiding under her bed. I hid under there with her, we kept calling for mom and dad, but…but they never came, and then…the fire was gone and everything was gone. Mom and dad are looking for us, but we can't find them…do you know where they are?"

Mild sympathy claimed the noble's face, "I'm afraid I do not. But I can send you to a beautiful place with lots of people just like you, a new home. It's called Soul Society; you'll be protected from danger there. There is nothing to fear…will you trust me?"

Tentatively, they nodded.

Byakuya withdrew his katana. He held it backwards, hilt out.

"Be strong for each other," he whispered and gently touched the heel of his sword to the young girl's forehead, leaving a glowing imprint. Her brother watched with wide eyes as she faded away in a soft blue light. When he turned to look at the man with the magical sword, it touched his own head. And he too, faded away to the afterlife.

When the soul burial was complete, Byakuya stood up and sheathed his sword. He made no attempt to move, he just seemed to stand there quietly. A hand softly came down on his shoulder, and he looked over at Ichigo who stood watching him thoughtfully.

"It's been a long time since I performed a soul burial," Byakuya alleged.

The human shinigami wore a considerate expression, utterly moved by the way the noble had spoken to those children. His voice had been so caring and gentle. Ichigo never knew it could sound that way. He knew right then, that whatever he felt for Byakuya had just grown stronger.

"You did well. Let's go back…I'm done for the day," Ichigo suggested tiredly.

Byakuya nodded.

" _Kurosaki Ichigo."_  Laughter...  _"I'm watching. I'm waiting…"_

Startled, Ichigo's eyes flashed open. He snarled, "Where are you?! Come out you coward!"

"Ichigo…?" Byakuya demanded, scanning the area around them.

" _In my own time, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your prince there made it difficult for me to fulfill my resolve presently. Just a few more souls to regain my full strength, I promise you!"_  Zero taunted, his maniacal laughter echoing in Ichigo's head.  _"Why don't you tell your warden to go home so we can play one-on-one? I'm not here to fight him."_

"Not happening!" Ichigo hollered, planting himself in front of Byakuya like a shield instinctively, "Let's get this over with now!" His face filled with rage. "Face me like a man!"

There was no response.

Byakuya was completely unnerved by the Ichigo's one-sided conversation, and by the way he'd suddenly jumped in front of him. What was Zero saying? "It was him," he said.

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, his hand gripping his sword so hard, skin and hilt produced a ripping sound in the still of the night. "He's not going to fight us. Bastard!" Slowly, he turned to face the older shinigami.

The noble sheathed his sword again and frowned. Ichigo had an unreadable expression on his face, and he noted the charm at his neck was not glowing. There was no threat tonight. "Perhaps we should go back," Byakuya recommended.

Ichigo released a heavy sigh, "Alright..."

* * *

Zero never showed up, nor did he speak to Ichigo again and he calmed down.

"Man, I'm beat," groaned Ichigo, climbing through his bedroom window after Byakuya.

They were careful not to stomp on the bodies on the bed, well; Ichigo's mostly since his was the only real one.

"It's been a long day," the noble granted, stepping off the bed.

Ichigo sat down into his body and lay back falling into the rest. He sat up in his human form. "I have to go to school in the morning," he said as a reminder to himself, reaching for his alarm clock. He fiddled with the buttons to set it. "I hate to miss too much, the homework gets piled on me a mile high."

The noble could understand that completely if he compared homework to paperwork respectively. Byakuya entered his gigai in the same fashion as the human had and sat up next to Ichigo. He made a slight face. He'd much rather sleep out of the gigai. But what if someone came in here? The noble bit back a yawn. He was plagued with fatigue as well. Must be something in this real world air, he thought and got to his feet and padded over to the closet. He pulled out the futon inside and laid it on the floor, along with the pillow. Then he draped the blanket on top, neatly.

"I wish to bathe first…" Byakuya hated asking for help, "Where do I find a towel?"

Ichigo regarded the older shinigami, "Oh, right. I'm sorry. I should have shown you where things like that are." He stood up and walked out of the room.

Byakuya followed Ichigo to a small door in the hallway close to the bathroom. The human pulled it open and grabbed a big, fluffy green-apple coloured towel and handed it over.

"You guys should come with overnight bags," Ichigo joked as he wandered into the bathroom. He knelt and pulled open a cupboard door under the sink. "You probably want a toothbrush, my dad knows a bunch of dentists and they give us tons of free brushes. So you can have your pick." Though, Ichigo never gave the man a choice and chose a royal blue one for Byakuya. He set it on the countertop.

The human shinigami stood up and gave Byakuya an edgy grin. "Soap and stuff is in the basket hanging from the showerhead. Don't use the stuff in the pink bottle, that's Karin's, she'll freak on me if you do. It's girly stuff anyways." Ichigo shrugged. "I hope I haven't missed something. If I did, just ask. Goodnight!"

Byakuya watched as Ichigo made haste back to his room. He shut the door quietly and picked up the toothbrush to examine it.

* * *

Ichigo tossed and turned. He was having a hard time falling asleep even though he was exhausted. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw were visions of Byakuya showering! Lathered pale skin, and bubbles, limbs, soapy wet hair, more bubbles in places they shouldn't be...

When the noble first mentioned bathing, Ichigo thought he literally meant a bath. But he heard the shower running instead.

He wondered if Byakuya had ever experienced a shower before. They must have them in Soul Society, but they also still had those old fashioned Japanese baths, communal even…unless you were a noble with a big ass house. Ichigo remembered the bath in Byakuya's house. Amazing! All natural stone beneath his feet, the bath was surrounded by pleasant screens, plants, and billowing clouds of steam filled the room. It had been  _really_  nice.

Suddenly the shower stopped.

His heart leapt! Yanking his blanket over his head, Ichigo tried burying himself under the covers. He turned on his side, facing the closet. Bit by bit the vizard lowered the blanket and peeked over the rim.

Light from the hall spilled into the room when the door opened. In walked the Gotei captain wearing only the apple-green towel.

 _Who_  was Zero again?

Ichigo's eyes went wide. In the dim light stood one lean, smooth-muscled body, abdomen ripped, a long graceful neck, tousled wet hair framing that pretty shadowed face. By the strategic glint of the hallway light, Ichigo caught a shiny droplet of water race from Byakuya's shoulder and down along his bicep. Amber eyes took in long, manly legs that ended at a pair of perfect feet. And that towel…

The human soul reaper was hard in seconds.

"Are you asleep, Ichigo?" spoke the noble, cautiously.

 _Speak Ichigo. Speak now!_  "Erm…no..."

"Do you have something I could sleep in? All I have is the clothing I received with that gigai—I should have thought of this earlier," Byakuya said easily, he didn't seem to care that he was standing there half-naked.

Ichigo's tongue felt about two sizes too big! His throat seemed to be closing against his will. The man needed something to sleep in. The vizard was about to get up, but realized he was in a 'stiff' predicament. He remained stationary, sitting there dumbly.

"I…err, over there in the dresser, bottom drawer. There's a pair of sweats and a t-shirt you can use," Ichigo stammered and flopped back down, pulling the blanket over his head again.

Byakuya studied the human soul reaper peculiarly for a moment, Ichigo's reiatsu was spiking. It was heady. The noble was aware that his exposed state was causing the reaction, but he ventured over to the dresser and smirked smugly to himself. It was true, Ichigo's spiritual energy has been fluctuating oddly lately, but it felt frustrated, bothered. Byakuya didn't know what to make of it; he was accustomed to Ichigo and his unbalanced energy shifts. But right now...that energy was without question, full of arousal.

The shinigami found the garments. He felt strange to be doing this, but he couldn't sleep naked, nor did he want to sleep in clothes he'd worn all day. Maybe he should use the real world money he'd brought and acquire some necessities as soon as possible.

Although, his focus was lost on clothing as he found himself completely enchanted with this reaction from Ichigo, Byakuya wondered.

Could it…?

Was it possible…?

Did Ichigo actually feel something for him? No! No way!  _Impossible!_

Yet, he was causing this effect. He wasn't accustomed to feeling bashfulness over male nudity, although obviously the human was. Maybe that's all it was…or, maybe it wasn't. This newfound information was indeed intriguing, and Byakuya couldn't help but feel his own swell of arousal stirring. Devilment was set in his eyes, but he was sure Ichigo couldn't see it in this weak light. Up until now he had no idea that Ichigo got this way over simple male nudity. Byakuya had to wonder if he'd been wrong. Feeling impetuous and brash suddenly…

Byakuya dropped his towel...

Under the blankets a strangled gasp was caught and held. Ichigo saw  _everything!_  He told himself to close his eyes, but he couldn't! They wouldn't listen to him. He swallowed so hard he was sure the naked soul reaper could hear it.

Byakuya was stunning, every  _inch_  of him.

Ichigo clutched his blankets, hard. Full of ache, he grit his teeth together, holding back a painful moan. He was going crazy here! If he touched himself  _right_  now, he'd explode on contact, fire like a cracker! Like a voyeur he lay there peeking over his blanket, watching as the soul reaper got dressed in his clothes.  _His clothes!_  Dark grey sweats and a simple white t-shirt. It didn't matter what Byakuya wore, Ichigo would always have naked visions in his head. And he was getting off watching this man. There was just no stopping his body! It was totally out of control! Soundlessly, he watched the shinigami go over to shut the door and then settle into bed below.

It was dark and quiet in the room again.

All Ichigo could think about at the moment was, if he came right now would Byakuya know? Sometimes he really hated not learning to control his reiatsu. It also made him wonder what the hell the noble was thinking right now as he lay here surging with strange energy. The man was probably stunned beyond all levels of civil comprehension.

In the silence Ichigo rest his head on his pillow, eyes directed at the other shinigami. All he could see was a faint outline, he could hear Byakuya breathing, and he could smell the pretty scent of whatever shampoo and soap he'd used in the shower. It lulled him. As moments passed, Ichigo felt his body cool down. Then he began to recall tonight, overlooking the town from the escarpment—the way they stared at each other and the manner in which Byakuya looked away, almost as if he were bashful about something.

" _Because…I wanted to."_

"Crazy noble," Ichigo murmured inaudibly.

It took awhile but he did start to drift. When he heard the slow, even breaths coming from Byakuya who was just an arm's length away… Ichigo fell asleep.


	9. A Dignified Art

The alarm clock buzzed.

Nestled cozily in his warm toasty blankets, Ichigo stirred. There was a  _crash!_  The buzzing alarm clock wasn't buzzing anymore.

"Good morning, Ichigo-san."

Amber eyes shot open with a start and darted at the tall figure standing next to his bed. "Senbonzakura!" he clamoured.

Ichigo sat up hastily, his heart thrumming in his chest like a jackhammer. He looked up at the imposing zanpakuto who stood, arms crossed, watching him back with that snarly mask of his.

"What are you doing here?" deplored the human shinigami.

"Guarding you," the sword soul replied, "My master gave me strict orders. Did you sleep well?"

"I…ah…yeah," Ichigo stammered, scratching his head. His eyes darted to the futon on the floor. It was empty. The blankets and the clothing folded neatly on top. He wore a puzzled look. "Where's Byakuya?"

"He told me it was none of my business, and said he would see you at school," explained the tall samurai. "I am to accompany you where ever you go. Do not worry, if the enemy were to appear my master would return quickly."

But that wasn't what unsettled Ichigo.

"Ichigo-san, if anything tried to harm my master  _I_ would be the first to know," said the zanpakuto, as if he was reading Ichigo's mind.

The vizard only studied the sword soul carefully, but he gave a breath of relief. Then Ichigo remembered his alarm clock and leaned over the bed to find a collection of electronic bits and clock casing strewn all over the floor.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" he wailed at the zanpakuto.

"How else do you stop it from making that infuriating noise?" Senbonzakura claimed.

"You push a button!" Ichigo sighed again and threw off his covers, "I need to get ready. You're not going to follow me to the shower, are you?"

"I've already bathed today, thank you."

"That's not what I meant!" cried Ichigo hopelessly.

There was silence.

Ichigo stood up, careful not to step on any pulverized alarm clock parts and dug out fresh clothes from his dresser. He padded off to the washroom, alone.

Under the hot spray, Ichigo pressed one hand to the wall and let the water rush over his inclined head. He stood there for a long time before he relaxed; reassuring himself that Byakuya would be fine. His fingers played over the charm he still wore, thinking about everything, about last night. About how different Byakuya was here in the real world, and that look in his eye when he'd shown him the city from the hilltop. And how gorgeous he was after that shower last night, all naked...

Without the power to stop himself, Ichigo released his fingers from the charm and ran the flat of his palm across his chest, down and over the definitions of his abdomen and wrapped his fingers around his, once again, hardened length. He groaned amiably with the contact. He knew that if he didn't get some kind of release  _right now,_  he'd positively crack like thin ice.

Forgetting about this morning's madness with Senbonzakura, Ichigo could only think of the zanpakuto's owner, a man that had poisoned his mind.

And it felt  _so_  good…

Ichigo sighed heavily with desire. He stroked harder, hand pumping faster. Behind his eyes he saw Byakuya and  _all_  his exposed glory. Licking his lips, Ichigo imagined his own hands touching and caressing that smooth, ivory skin. Somehow he knew it would feel supple and warm; he wanted to feel it  _so_  bad. Ichigo swallowed hard, already nearing. He wanted it to last longer, but he was so pent up from last night and the very idea of what was taking place in his mind drove him over the edge.

Wet lips parted in rapture, water cascading along the sides of his face. "Byakuya…" he moaned throatily.

Oh yeah!

Fuck  _YEAH!_

With eyes squeezed tight, his body shuddered with divine, sweet release. He squeezed every last drop from himself, groaning blissfully. Ichigo purred with satisfaction, and took his time catching his breath.  _Phew!_  Slowly, content-laden eye lids opened, and Ichigo stared blankly at the tiled wall in front of him and softly chuckled. His mind free of torment for a moment, he was amazed by what he just did. Yet, he felt no guilt. He'd just did what his body wanted done, did what he couldn't fight. Ichigo wasn't sure he could fight any of it a much longer.

"What am I going to do about you, Byakuya…?"

* * *

Ichigo ignored breakfast, realizing his 'activities' this morning ate up most of his time. He would have to hurry if he didn't want to be late. Grabbing his bag, he struggled into a red, zip-up hooded sweater, and ran out the door. He completely ignored Karin's shocked face and wavering outstretched finger.

Senbonzakura walked beside him.

Thankfully he hadn't run into his father or his other sister Yuzu.

"What is 'school'?" asked the zanpakuto, his armour and clothing shuffling as he moved.

Ichigo, feeling oddly tranquil at the moment, shook his head sadly, "It's a place we go to learn about all kinds of subjects. It's okay I guess."

"I see, and will we stay there all day?" Senbonzakura wondered.

"Mostly until late afternoon, depends on my schedule. Sometimes it's only half a day. It's not like high school," Ichigo answered, and before Senbonzakura could ask about high school, he changed the subject. "So, Byakuya didn't say  _anything_  about he was up to this morning?"

"Affirmative," said the sword soul.

Ichigo made a vague sound in his throat.

When they arrived at the school, Ichigo looked around outside for the older shinigami but he wasn't there. Damn! Where did that noble take off to?! Feeling a little anxious, Ichigo could hear Rukia's voice echoing through his mind,  _"…Ichigo, promise me you'll keep him out of trouble."_

Sigh. Why were soul reapers such a pain in the butt?

Feeling concern about Byakuya's absence, but knowing he had to trust the man. Ichigo entered the large building and went up to the second floor.

"IC-Hi-GO!"

Today, Ichigo knew he didn't have to dodge Keigo Asano, the goofy brown-haired guy from highschool with doleful eyes, because he was in for a shock this morning. The human soul reaper turned around superciliously, wearing a lop-sided grin of amusement. He waited… Here it comes...

"WHAT IS  _THAT?!_ " Keigo bawled and froze in mid step. He had one foot hovered off the floor, arms stopped in mid swing. His youthful face was that of pure terror and alarm.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo responded coolly and frowned, "We're in a school, there's nothing unusual here."

A few students paused to stare at the scene, wondering what the heck Keigo was wailing about now. What they didn't know was that Keigo Asano was more spiritually aware than they were and he could see Byakuya's zanpakuto standing next to Ichigo...ever since that day many years ago with those Bounts.

" _That's_  not normal!" Keigo spat.

Ichigo sighed.

"Did you just state that I'm not normal?" Senbonzakura questioned menacingly.

"It speaks!"

"Stop yelling, jerk! Everyone will think you're crazy," Ichigo warned, he didn't want or need this kind of attention. He pulled the silly man to the side and spoke quietly, "Look, he's here to help me out with something. He's harmless unless you piss him off. Then…I might not be able to stop him," he assured darkly, he couldn't resist.

Ichigo tried to push past Keigo.

"Wait!" Keigo pleaded, "I was actually looking for you this morning. I have something for you—if you want it." He eyed the tall samurai in purple garb nervously and dug into his tan pants pockets. He pulled out two tickets.

Ichigo looked at the tickets.

"My sister had these extra tickets to a concert on Friday night, her work gave them to her, but I can't go. I…I…promised someone I'd go see them in this other show that night. So…I thought I'd ask you if you wanted them, Ichigo-san."

Recognition lit up Ichigo's face, "You mean a girl?"

"Sorta," mumbled Keigo as he blushed profusely. "She's so sweet! But there's no use wasting these tickets…I can't find anyone to give them to, everyone is busy."

Ichigo's face softened. Even Keigo was moving up in the world.

"This is really nice of you, Keigo-san," Ichigo said and immediately thought of Byakuya, "I think I know someone that might enjoy this. He could use a real night on the town." That's if Zero didn't come and ruin it all. Ichigo cursed the menacing axe that was always hovering over his head lately. He took the tickets and read the information on the shiny paper. "Nightwish? Who are they?"

"Dunno, some band from Finland. Apparently they play a mix of symphony, opera and metal. Crazy mix, huh? You have to tell me how they are," Keigo claimed and chuckled uneasily, casting the zanpakuto edgy glances.

Indeed, what a strange combination. Oh well! Ichigo slipped the concert tickets into his pocket. Free stuff was cool stuff. "Thanks, man." Then he looked at his watch, "Shit! Come on, let's hurry!" he barked at Senbonzakura.

He was late for his ethics-theory class!

Ichigo ignored everyone as he entered the classroom and took his usual seat near the window. Senbonzakura stood right next to his desk like some kind of patrol sergeant.

The shinigami complained, "Don't stand right  _there_."

A male student on his right looked over at him like he was loco.

The vizard frowned and nudged the zanpakuto hard with his elbow right in the thigh. The samurai got the hint and found an empty seat to sit his tall, armoured frame into.

An empty desk three rows over, rattled suspiciously.

The class started and Ichigo had his pen and notebook ready. He tried to pay attention to the lecture and take notes.

But it was hard to focus today…

Ichigo rest his chin on his palm and worried about the noble again. It wasn't like he expected him to attend school or anything. Byakuya couldn't be as crazy as all those other Soul Society shinigami that had come to his high school dressed in uniform. Thankfully, university didn't require uniforms, but that wasn't the point! Byakuya couldn't be that imprudent…right? What disturbed Ichigo was the fact the man simply disappeared, leaving his zanpakuto to guard him. Ichigo thought he might hang around the school at least. He could visit the library and read something.

Actually, that sounded pretty boring.

Ichigo scowled, it wasn't like  _he_  decided to have a bodyguard here in the real world in the first place.  _Damn_ that old geezer…  _Damn_  that Kenpachi…

Argh! What was Byakuya doing?! Ichigo drummed his fingers on the desk top.

* * *

The day dragged on with no sign of the Gotei captain.

Ichigo ate lunch with Ishida Uryu. The Quincy shared his meal with Senbonzakura who claimed he was going to vanish from hunger, and that school was incredibly boring. They all sat in the large cafeteria at a table by the windows. Inoue waved at them from her table surrounded by girls. Of course Tatsuki was one of them. She too, could see the zanpakuto and she did so with mild alarm on her face.

Ichigo relented and handed the zanpakuto his onigiri and his drink. He wasn't that hungry anyways, he only nibbled on an apple.

As the zanpakuto noisily drank from the juice box, Ishida asked, "So, any sign of that Zero guy?"

"He talked to me last night, but he wouldn't fight," Ichigo replied. "I don't get it, what gives? I  _hate_  sitting around waiting for something to happen!"

Ishida nodded and said, "Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san, haven't found out anything either, it's disturbing. But it's only been a little while since he was injured. Maybe he's waiting to catch you alone, which would be wise."

"That's what Byakuya thinks, too," answered the shinigami, and worried again about the noble's safety as they spoke.

"How was your first day with the Captain of the Sixth?" the Quincy wondered.

Ichigo glanced uncertainly at Senbonzakura before replying, "Good."

"Just 'good'...?"

"Yeah,  _good_ …what else do you want me to say?" Ichigo muttered tersely.

The fair-skinned Quincy raised an eyebrow and pushed his glasses up with his index finger, "I would think he was driving you crazy or something. I mean he's staying with you at your house, it must be quite the change from mansion to hostel."

Ichigo regarded Ishida dryly. "My house is  _not_  a hostel even though everyone in Soul Society seems to think so." He rubbed over his orange hair with frustration. "Anyways, he's not driving me crazy," he said. Byakuya was driving him crazy for  _other_  reasons. He shrugged.

"I see. I don't know how I'd feel with someone always following me around. Well, hopefully he'll only be here for a short time," finished Ishida, flashing a look at Byakuya's sword soul.

Was it? Was that what he really wanted? Ichigo thought.

"My master only wishes for your safety, Ichigo-san," voiced the zanpakuto all of a sudden. He'd been listening to this conversation intently, hoping to perhaps pickup some insight about how Ichigo felt about his master. But Ichigo was almost as well guarded as his master was. He wouldn't interfere, but he could offer his support. "He has his reasons for being here. Be patient with him."

Ichigo and Ishida glanced at Senbonzakura and then at each other.

"Reasons?" questioned Ishida, dark brows furrowed speculatively.

"None that concern you, Quincy," replied the zanpakuto impersonally.

The bespectacled man looked taken aback, "The name is Ishida Uryu."

Why did Ichigo get the impression Senbonzakura knew something he didn't and was currently hiding it from him? Would the sword soul even answer him if he asked? The vizard glanced at the clock on the cafeteria wall and told Ishida they should get going, trying to direct them away from this conversation, and before the zanpakuto could say anything else.

"Hey, it's the last class of the day," Ishida said eyes lighting up, "My favourite class, at that."

Ichigo groaned, "Art class? Tell me again WHY I took that course?"

"Because, Kuchiki-san begged you to," the rare Quincy said, smirking. He got up from his seat.

The human soul reaper got to his feet as well and complained, "I wonder what we'll have to do today, another series of one-minute contour drawings? Wow, how much do I suck at that." Ichigo didn't mind taking a stab at himself over this subject. He had no problem admitting defeat when it came to the creative arts.

"I love the one-minute contours, it loosens up your mind…let's you capture the perfect moment," the dark-haired man practically purred, shouldering his navy blue backpack.

"Oh, shut up," moaned Ichigo, grabbing his own backpack and signalling for Senbonzakura that it was time to go with his hand.

"Hey! Don't tell me to shut up!" Ishida huffed.

"Make me," countered Ichigo stubbornly as they made their way out of the cafeteria and continued down a lengthy hallway, bickering.

Ishida was starting to fume. "I'm not listening to you any further, Kurosaki."

"Whatever, see if I care."

"Oh! You're so full of yourself."

"Calm down, geez…I'm messing with you."

A menacing growl from behind them,  _"Will you both please shut up?!"_

Both Ishida and Ichigo glanced behind them at Senbonzakura with alarmed expressions.

They shut up.

* * *

Art class was held in a large, bright room with long, rectangular tables set up like a U in the middle of it. At the head of the classroom was a desk for the instructor and to the left a wall filled from top to bottom with slots for paper, canvas, tools and many kinds of paint. Some people brought their own portfolios. Others brought their own pens and sets and whatnot. Ichigo didn't care. He used whatever the school offered.

Ishida and Ichigo took a seat on the far right side of the U, close to the front of the class. The Quincy insisted he had to be near the front, and so did Rukia when she was able to attend. What choice did Ichigo have?

Ichigo looked longingly at the windows in the back of the classroom, noting a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. They were calling his name... He felt Ishida nudge him, disrupting his chances of drifting into a pleasant daydream.

"Hey, where's that zanpakuto?" asked the Quincy.

Ichigo glanced around the room. Ishida was right. "I don't see him. Do zanpakuto's use the washroom or something?" A wave of concern began to wash over him when…

The door opened to the classroom, and in walked Kuchiki Byakuya with a big pad of paper under one arm and a large bag gripped in his hand. He placed them on the teacher's desk and straightened his clothing, appearing all cool and at ease.

What the…?

"Is that…?" started Ishida.

The vizard's eyes bugged as he noted the captain of the sixth's total change of attire. He was wearing black slacks and nice leather shoes which looked kind of expensive, shiny and new. The soul reaper wore a three quarter-length, black leather jacket, a sharp indigo-coloured tie over a midnight blue, button-up shirt that was neatly tucked into the pants. Ichigo spotted a shiny black belt at his waist with a silver buckle. The man was now in the process of taking off his jacket and hanging it on the back of the teacher's chair.

" _Byakuya?!"_  Ichigo charged from across the room.

A set of titanium-coloured eyes were directed at Ichigo deprecatingly.

There was sudden, rushed whispering now among the students in the room.

"Who's that guy?" someone said. It was a female student.

"I don't know, but he's really hot!" another female gushed. "It sounds like Kurosaki-san knows who he is."

They giggled.

Ichigo shot up from his seat and stormed to the front of the class. He grabbed Byakuya by the elbow and dragged him out into the hall.

The noble didn't give any resistance.

"What the  _hell_  are you doing?!" demanded Ichigo, frowning and aghast. "You disappear all day. You leave me alone with your zanpakuto—who destroyed my alarm clock by the way—and now you show up in my art class looking like that!" He couldn't stop himself from scanning over Byakuya with his eyes once more.

Byakuya wore a patient stoic face, regarding Ichigo's roaming eyes. It made him think of last night in his bedroom, and Ichigo's heated spirit pressure. Had Ichigo gotten a good look? "As you can see, I wish to instruct this class today. If you must know," he continued calmly, "I acquired some supplies this morning and purchased a few items so I wouldn't have to borrow your clothes every day. I truly have no idea how long I will be here and I don't want to burden you."

"You're not burdening me," claimed Ichigo honestly.

The noble's face softened slightly, "That's not the point."

"This class, huh? You're as bad as your sister, you both love this shit, don't you? What's gotten into you? How the hell did you talk the school into letting take over the class?"

"He isn't, Mr. Kurosaki," spoke the real art instructor from behind.

Ichigo spun around on the tiny, old Japanese woman with her greying hair done up in a knot. She wore vibrant colours, pink sweater, yellow pants and a smock that resembled a lab coat that was splattered with paint blotches.

"Uesugi-sensei," Ichigo said.

"Rukia-san's brother came to me earlier and asked to be a guest speaker, actually more like the guest instructor. He inquired about attending a few classes for the next couple of days. Isn't that wonderful?! More people need to envelope themselves with artistic expression," she explained happily.

Byakuya wore a regal look of agreement.

"Mr. Kurosaki, I really hope you are not wasting my class time, again," she stated, narrowing her eyes at Ichigo. "You could be a much better student if you only applied yourself, you know." She gave him a sniff of disproval and went into the classroom.

Ichigo glanced at Byakuya with chagrin all over his face after being scolded like a child. He said nothing more.

They followed the instructor into the classroom. Ichigo took his seat again, and could feel Ishida's eyes burrowing holes into him. Sigh...

Mrs. Uesugi explained to the class that Kuchiki-san would instruct them today on how to execute a proper character in calligraphy, and then apply that character to a piece of artwork. She called it fusion.

"You will be combining the two art forms into one piece. So start thinking now what you might like to write and how you might apply it to a picture or a painting. The script can be utilized any way you wish, be creative. Kuchiki-san, you have the floor my dear," said the spirited art instructor. She took a seat at her desk and put her feet up.

"You have my thanks, Uesugi-sensei," Byakuya stated politely, and picked up the bag he'd brought with him off the teacher's desk. He set it on top of the desk in front of two students and said, "I require that you restrain from discussion as this is a dignified art that requires full concentration. You may ask questions when I have finished speaking."

The room was still. All eyes were steadied on the raven-haired man up front.

Ichigo scoffed from his seat. Sometimes he thought Byakuya and Rukia were a lot more alike than they knew. Listening to Byakuya talk like this reminded him of the first day Rukia showed up in his highschool class, acting all girly and human. Thankfully, Byakuya didn't act girly, but he definitely could perform like Rukia.

Byakuya continued in his even manner, "I've brought with me, the Four Treasures of the Study—the ink brush, ink, paper and inkstone. All of which this classroom may keep; consider it my donation to the arts. We will mainly focus on the inkstones today. Achieving the perfect consistency of ink is one of the first steps to mastering the art of calligraphy. The practice of the arts keeps a warrior's mind sharp and ready. Calligraphy reveals one's signature, your identity...the same identity one must find with his sword if he wishes to master it. Each goes hand in hand."

"Ohhh, this is going to be great!" exclaimed Ishida gleefully next to a mesmerized Kurosaki, "I love this kind of stuff!"

"I get the feeling he's totally in his element right now," voiced the substitute shinigami. From death god captain to art instructor, Ichigo shook his head bemused. Byakuya glanced over at them momentarily. His eyes were unreadable to Ichigo. Well, if this was the noble's way of causing 'trouble', then Ichigo guessed he could live with it.

The soul reaper—unbeknownst to all these students—began to explain the use and purpose of each of these four treasures. He explained the type of brushes and papers, and how he could not believe they sold chemical-based ink these days.

Ichigo chuffed to himself.

Poor guy comes from a feudal-like Japan era spirit world. Boy, would he be surprised at how much stuff in the real world was synthetic and fake, Ichigo reflected. But the vizard could only smile and watch whimsically as Byakuya, much like how he must instruct as a captain he imagined, taught a bunch of university students the jackpot of all calligraphy study. There was no way these guys could get anything more authentic, and they had no freaking idea.

Though, Ichigo never really saw the hype of doing calligraphy, and he never would have thought to connect swordsmanship training to this art. On second thought, he believed he could start to find an interest if Byakuya was going to be the one to teach it.

Soon their 'guest' instructor, who was given a dark green apron to wear by Mrs. Uesugi, had everyone clear the back end of the room so the group to kneel in seiza before their own pieces of mulberry paper, inkstones and an inksticks, claiming this was how 'real' calligraphy was performed.

Ichigo couldn't believe he was learning how to rub an inkstick in the small pool of water that rest at the basin of the square-shaped inkstone. It felt like a stone a chef's knife was sharpened on, it appeared smooth but felt slightly grainy to the touch. Apparently there was a technique to this—dragging up water with the stick and rubbing to create sooty water, therefore they were making their own ink.

"This is now my favourite class," went one of the female students from earlier to her friend.

"I wonder if he's single, he doesn't seem that old," cooed the other in a whisper next to Ichigo.

Ichigo couldn't help but listen.

"He acts kinda stiff. Do you hear the way he talks? Like he's royalty or something, but I bet he's wild you know where," she sing-songed.

They giggled again.

The vizard rolled his eyes and pretended he had heard nothing.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo just kept rubbing his inkstick.

" _Kurosaki Ichigo?"_

"What's the matter with you?!" Ishida hissed and nudged Ichigo sharply.

"Huh?" went the human shinigami, looking over at Ishida and then at Byakuya who was frowning at him and had been calling him by his full name. Whoa! Was he doing something wrong?

"What are you doing?" Byakuya's eyes fell to Ichigo's inkstone.

Ichigo dropped his eyes to his inkstone, too.  _Shit!_  He'd nearly rubbed the entire inkstick down to a stub! The result was a gooey mess and his hands were stained purple-black. Oh man…

"I'm sorry…I guess I rubbed too hard," murmured Ichigo, his face going hot.

The class burst out laughing at that, even Mrs. Uesugi. But not the noble, he waited patiently until the laughter died.

"Then you may share my ink," Byakuya stated directly.

Ichigo glanced uneasily around before he picked up his paper, and took a kneeling position next to the captain. "I'm sorry," he professed again, grabbing a rag close by to wipe his hands. It didn't help much.

"It's nothing," the older shinigami told him and proceeded to show the class the proper stroke, order, balance and rhythm of a chosen Japanese character in  _kaisho_ —block script.

"Wow, that's  _so_  not fair. Why can't Ichigo-san just share Ishida-san's ink?" one of the girls complained in a whisper to her friends.

"Dunno, maybe he  _likes_  Kurosaki-san," the other replied and they snickered.

Ichigo heard it, he wasn't sure if Byakuya did since he was focused on his task. The vizard fought back a blush, and looked over at the haughty woman with all the comments. She was glaring at him. But inside, he felt a strange sense of smug satisfaction that he was sharing Byakuya's ink. He looked away from her and felt a self-righteous smirk grow on his face. For the first time in a long time, he realized he was feeling totally jealous! Blinking surprised about that, he focused on Byakuya as he brushed with perfect fluidity, a beautiful character that stood for 'dream'.

"Dream?" asked Ichigo forthright.

Byakuya's face hardened, he wouldn't look at Ichigo. He simply claimed, "It was the first thing that came to mind."

Ichigo knew that face. Byakuya didn't want to reveal his actual reason for choosing that character. That was fine, he was just curious.

They got to practice on the one sheet of paper they had. They were told they could repeat the character as many times that the paper would allow, and when they were comfortable, they could move onto a new sheet to create their works of fusion linking calligraphy and illustration. Ichigo knew he was going to fail so hard with this. He wasn't elegant or graceful, and he knew he was going to look like a total dumbass. But, he wasn't one to back down. Not a chance! He thought of a character fast, and held his brush out with shaky, hesitant fingers when...

Unexpectedly, a warm hand settled over top of his. Tawny-coloured eyes flashed over at Byakuya.

"Relax, Ichigo," Byakuya spoke calmly, and drew his hand away.

Ichigo felt blood pounding behind his ears. Suddenly, his mouth was dry and he glanced at the shinigami next to him with marvel. Who  _was_  this man, and what had he done with the cranky noble?

Byakuya found his well-trained composure and went on like nothing happened. "Ask yourself why you chose the character you wish to write, Ichigo. Find its purpose, its reason and then…write it." The captain gestured at Ichigo's paper for him to continue.

Still rocked by Byakuya's voltaic touch and his capable tenor, Ichigo tried not to become the focus and humorous relief of the class again. He braced himself, and asked why he chose the character he had in mind. Well, because it was his purpose in life. For those he cared about and loved, for innocents that never asked to be hurt, for the weak that needed the strong…for his _mother!_  If he'd been given the chance! Ichigo took a sidelong glance at the raven-haired man next to him. It was for him, too!

Ichigo's brush swiftly moved over his paper with a flourish he never knew he had. His strokes were heavy and performed totally out of order. When he was finished, he sat back to study it. It was legible at least.

"Protect," Byakuya read out loud and stared at the scripture for a moment as if thinking carefully. He didn't say anything more about it and got up to go check out the rest of the student's work, to offer advice and point out errors.

Ichigo sat back, frowning. This stuff was getting too serious. Who knew that calligraphy could get so, so  _deep?_

Once everyone had their chosen character and was ready to move onto creating some illustrations, time was up.

"My, my, what an interesting session this was. I do hope that Kuchiki-san will return tomorrow and join us in continuing our pieces," she said cheerfully.

"It could be arranged," the noble replied indifferently.

"Lovely, well…clean up your areas and have a good evening. If anyone wants to stay, be my guest." With that the woman practically floated out of the room.

Once everything was back in order, about ten different young women wished Byakuya a very pleasant evening before they left the classroom.

Ichigo caught the man with a hint of a blush on his pale face. Only the noble quickly turned away and pretended to study a few sheets of calligraphy that was drying on the table behind him.

The vizard began to chuckle. "Urahara-san  _did_  warn you," Ichigo mused.


	10. Try Honesty

All the way home from school they walked in total silence. Not a word.

It was unnerving!

Ichigo hurried up to his room and dumped his bag on the floor. He lay on his bed and sighed contentedly.

Peace at last.

He briefly wondered where Kon was, hopefully not taped up to the toilet again. Whatever, Ichigo placed his hands behind his head and watched Byakuya close the door on his way in. He watched him remove his new, posh, black leather jacket. The man loosened his tie and tugged it off completely as if happy to be rid of it, and draped it over the back of the computer chair along with his jacket. Then a few buttons at his neck were graciously unbuttoned.

This simple act made Ichigo smile.

"What is it?" the Kuchiki heir questioned coolly.

"Nothing," replied Ichigo. Actually...there was. "You're something else, you know that?" the vizard instigated suddenly, he could no longer be quiet. "You made me worry about you today, and here you were buying new clothes and art supplies for my class. Now you're just dumping your stuff on my furniture. I thought nobles were supposed to be more thoughtful than that."

Byakuya looked over at Ichigo sharply. Then he huffed with amusement about the noble comment. "You needn't worry about me. Perhaps, I should have explained myself before I left this morning. But…" He seemed unsure whether to continue, "…you were resting so peacefully. I didn't want to disturb you."

"Well, I  _did_  worry," Ichigo looked away awkwardly and scoffed. "Anyways, I don't understand why you wore such nice clothes to an art class."

Byakuya held back a sigh. "I assumed one needed to look professional in an educational setting."

"Well, luckily you're a lot neater than I am." Ichigo made a point of this by holding up his ink-stained hands; his palms were entirely dark purple.

"A minor setback," said the noble, "You did well today, with practice…"

"Now you're just being polite," Ichigo cut Byakuya off, waving a modest hand at him.

Grey eyes narrowed, "Insincerity is not a quality I admire."

"Pffft," Ichigo sounded, not convinced he had  _any_  artistic talent. "You soul reapers just can't resist coming to my school. I thought maybe you'd hang around, but you all manage to find a way  _in_." He chuckled and then added thoughtfully, "But…it seems like you really enjoyed yourself today." Maybe it was easier for Byakuya to step out of the cast while he was away from Soul Society. Here he didn't have to contend with his noble duties and there was less demand of his time. In this world he could be anyone he wanted…just a guy.

Byakuya stood with his hands in his pockets. He let his own eyes wander over Ichigo's supine form, finding a patch of skin that was bare where his jeans and long-sleeved shirt should meet at his waist. "I did," he answered evenly, "You do know, I host the calligraphy club in Soul Society, giving instruction is not foreign to me."

"I remember," Ichigo said. "Rukia mentioned it once. But I've never seen you actually do it though, until today."

"You could attend if you wish." The offer was made.

An attentive look washed over the vizard's face. "Are you inviting me, Byakuya?"

"Yes."

"Then…maybe I will have to attend sometime."

Byakuya stood at a halt, studying the human shinigami. He felt it. The pressure in the room was fully charged again. Or was it just him? No…it felt the same as it did last night and briefly during that art class.  _And he'd been the one that started it!_  He didn't mean to touch Ichigo that way, but, he couldn't stop himself. Seeing Ichigo so intimidated over simply writing calligraphy was positively charming. Of course a part of him also wanted to see what Ichigo was capable of, and he didn't regret it. Naturally, the man would pick something like 'protect' to write, but it was the look on his face  _before_  he wrote the character, the rush of his spiritual pressure, that's what mattered to Byakuya.

Such passion… He was envious and drawn to it at the same time. It was getting so hard to keep his distance, so hard resist.

He watched Ichigo laying there all sprawled on his bed, carefree and lazy. Gone from the human was that boyish aura, a few human years had done him good, he'd aged physically more into a man now—not by much really, but enough that Byakuya could tell the difference. His facial features were more defined and less rounded, his eyes held a touch more maturity than they had four years ago, but his shock of orange hair was exactly the same, wild and untamed, it's colour vibrant and beautiful…

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Byakuya snapped out of reverie. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"It's nothing," he replied composedly.

Ichigo looked dubiously at the noble. "So, what else did you pick up today?"

"A few items," the Captain of the Sixth answered, "I will not need your sleeping garments tonight."

For some reason Ichigo felt disappointed about that. He sat up and placed his feet on the floor and right into something  _sharp!_

"Shit!" he wailed and inspected his socked foot. He picked off a tiny yellow bit, remnants of his alarm clock that was still dead like a car crash at the side of his bed. He'd never had the chance to clean that up yet.

"Your zanpakuto is kinda violent," Ichigo claimed, unimpressed.

The noble sighed. "I will replace this for you," he said, kneeling down next to the mess and began to pick up the parts.

Ichigo looked on surprised, but immediately went to help, dragging the waste basket over. "Nah, you don't have to do that. It's was just a clock."

"Do not argue with me, Ichigo."

"I'm not! You just…you don't have to do that."

They both reached for the same component and knocked heads, hard.

Ichigo drew back and rubbed at his forehead with a pained expression,  _wow_  that smart, "You have a really hard head!"

"And you do not?" Byakuya replied dryly, frowning with extra effort at his own discomfort and watching the man across from him. But Ichigo suddenly stopped and stared at him just above his eyes. "What?" he muttered, eyes directed upwards uselessly.

Before he knew what he was doing, Ichigo reached over, and ever so faintly brushed aside a lock of black hair. Gently touching Byakuya's forehead just above his brow with the tips of his fingers, "It looks like I hit you pretty hard, it's all red here," he said cautiously.

In a flash Byakuya caught the hand by the wrist just before it could draw away. He held it in a vice grip.

Ichigo winced.

Fiery amber eyes met frosty grey ones. Neither man moved or twitched or even appeared to breathe. Spiritual energy surged in the room. It did not come in rushes solely from Ichigo this time, but it was coming from Byakuya as well.

All it took was a simple touch.

"Please…" Ichigo murmured breathlessly as he leaned over, "...don't stop me..." and timorously brushed his lips over Byakuya's.

Completely stunned, Byakuya's eyes flashed. He couldn't stop the gasp that tore from his throat. Warm lips were on his, he almost couldn't breathe for a moment. Not until he felt that familiar reiatsu flowing around him, Ichigo was kissing him!

Astonished at all levels that Ichigo was actually doing this, Byakuya pulled away. He searched Ichigo's face for an answer and let go of his wrist as if it had burned him. Before him was a man whose eyes were wild and determined with desire. He'd never seen him like this before—except in his dream, of course, but no dream could  _ever_  compare to this. Ichigo never looked more enticing, or as tempting than he did right now. Casting all logical thoughts aside and nearly terrified to ruin the moment, Byakuya dropped his pretence like a two-ton stone and answered his own passion avariciously, discarding all reservations.

_Law and order be damned!_

He griped his hands alongside Ichigo's handsome face and returned the kiss with a fervour he thought he'd long forgotten.

The vizard was clearly startled this time, unaccustomed to such touches, the idea of what was happening still primly fresh. Byakuya's hands were on him, his mouth pressed to his. The noble was kissing  _him_  now!

Devoid of reality and all coherent thought, Ichigo couldn't help himself. He parted his lips and met Byakuya's tongue breathily and uncertainly at first, the pace was uneven, erratic. But it didn't take long to find a rhythm and their kiss grew deeper, wetter. Their mutual tension poured into each other as they tasted.

Byakuya felt so good, his lips were so soft. Ichigo heard himself moan and it woke him up just long enough to cause him to open his eyes. He broke from the kiss slowly, trying to register all these new sensations, these new feelings. His eyes shimmered as he focused on a mask-less Kuchiki Byakuya. Gone was the hardness in his eyes, of his entire appearance, strands of rogue black hair scattered haphazardly across the left side of his face, and his soft pink lips now kiss-tender and wet. Seeing this, Ichigo knew he wanted more. It was as if once he tasted the man, it didn't matter if he was a guy or a girl. In fact, if he compared it to a girl's kiss…there was no difference at all!

"I…I can't fight you," Ichigo stammered softly, staring boldly into the other man's eyes.

The one side of Byakuya's mouth twitched, "An interesting choice of words."

Ichigo moved in to kiss him again.

Hesitant, ink-stained fingers weaved into Byakuya's sleek, raven hair, gentle and tenderly. The noble sighed over this sensual exploration; his body was fully aroused…although, he yearned to be rid of this faux body. It felt so out of place. It was tempting to halt this engaging act to do so, but he couldn't bear to as Ichigo ran one hand down his back, over the material of his shirt and moved his lips lower to explore along his throat.

Byakuya couldn't resist a shiver. The intensity he felt was almost overbearing.

They still knelt on the floor before each other, Ichigo leaning over on his fours, using one hand to hold himself up and the other blindly un-tucking Byakuya's shirt from his waistband at the back. Wandering fingers made purchase with warm, smooth skin underneath as he kissed the spot where Byakuya's jaw met his ear. The noble released a charged sigh, his quickened breath caressing over Ichigo's cheek and greedily fisted two handfuls of silken ginger hair…

KNOCK!  _KNOCK!_

Both men scrambled off of each other as Ichigo's bedroom door came crashing open. Karin stood there almost snarling at them. " _What the hell are you guys_   _doing?!_ " she cried, "Are you trying to suffocate everyone alive in this house?! Dad's last patient of the day just left here screaming because he thinks that dad was trying to smoother him with a pillow!"

She glowered at them fiercely.

Ichigo and Byakuya stared at her wide-eyed.

Karin noticed the broken clock between the two men. "If you're going to fight, do it somewhere else!" she wailed and marched away. Her voice trilled up the stairs, "Oh! And dinner will be ready in five minutes you twerps! Don't you dare run off somewhere!"

Shell-shocked back to their senses, Ichigo and Byakuya looked at one another quickly and said nothing. The noble stood up to fix his shirt, and Ichigo numbly finished picking up the remains of his broken clock.

The minds of both men reeled with stark new revelations.

* * *

Isshin sat at the dinner table with his family, pecking at his food cautiously. Yuzu promised him that it wasn't spicy tonight and that he'd be fine. But that wasn't what concerned him as he chewed on a succulent piece of ham—what  _did_  concern him was the other two men at the table who were shooting quirky glances at one another and eating slower than molasses.

Table talk was too quiet tonight. The atmosphere in the room felt tense enough to cut with a sword.

The old shinigami regarded the red welt on both Ichigo and Byakuya's foreheads. Had they been fighting upstairs? It was almost terrifying the level of pressure he felt coming from them just a little while ago. But something told Isshin that if they could sit here and eat dinner in the same room together quietly that, they couldn't have really been fighting at all. Then what was going on…?

Isshin suddenly swallowed down the wrong tube and started a coughing fit.

Ichigo looked over at his father with alarm as Karin jumped out of her seat and slapped him on the back. Yuzu and Byakuya watched on carefully.

"Phew!" Isshin announced and chuckled and gave another small cough once he cleared his airway, "I'm alright…Karin, you can stop smacking me honey."

Karin resumed her seat and Yuzu looked relieved and handed her dad his glass of water.

After a soothing sip, Isshin tossed up his hands with his glass still in his grip, emptying the contents with a splash behind him somewhere. He exclaimed, "I just had this crazy thought and suddenly I forgot how to swallow!" He laughed harder, almost to the point of crying. Then he stopped just as suddenly and looked at his son calmly, "If you would be so kind, Ichigo. I would like it if you boys played  _outside_  next time."

"Um…sure," Ichigo said carefully and glanced at Byakuya, heat rising to his cheeks. He looked the other way and popped a whole broccoli spear into his mouth so he wouldn't have to say another word.

* * *

After surviving dinner, Ichigo found himself in his shinigami form sitting on the rooftop of his house. He couldn't just take off because Byakuya would follow him. No matter what happened, Ichigo knew that man would not disobey the orders of his captain-commander to guard him. So here he sat, his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms resting on top…he needed some time to think and to be alone. He'd watched the sun set and now he was watching the night. It was tranquil and fresh and the stars were up in the sky by the millions accompanied by a full moon. He'd been sitting here for hours, his mind going over the heated actions in his bedroom.

It had all just…happened.

There didn't seem to be any logical explanation, except that he'd wanted to do it. And once he did, once he got a taste of that, he thought it would be easier to understand. That what he was feeling was just some curious little crush. That perhaps just kissing Byakuya would clear him of further desire for the man. That Byakuya would stop driving him mad.

But it didn't.

Softly, he touched his lips with his fingers. Byakuya had kissed him back with equal passion; equal intensity and it had felt so damn good. That part of the entire experience, the fact that the noble kissed him back shook him more than the fact he'd kissed a guy! No…kissing the Kuchiki heir didn't cure his longing at all! He should have felt disgusted with himself for kissing another man, should have felt ashamed…

Ichigo didn't feel any of those things. All he felt was confused by what all of it meant and what to do about it now.

Another presence appeared behind him, but he didn't turn around, he knew who it was.

Staring sombrely up at the moon but not really seeing it all, he said, "Sorry if I made you worry about where I was. I…I didn't think you could stand to look at me anymore."

There was a momentary pause and then came a sigh. "Ichigo…I do believe it should be you that doesn't wish to look at me."

Those words caused Ichigo to turn around sharply and look up at Byakuya  _all right!_ He stood there tall and proud, his features and shinigami attire ominously highlighted by the glow of the moon.

"What do you mean?" the vizard questioned, the slight breeze causing the tail-end of that windflower scarf to rustle against the side of his head. He swatted it away.

"Surely you must regret what happened," spoke the noble.

"No, I don't," Ichigo immediately retort.

"I see," Byakuya said his tone indifferent, appearing cold and distant.

Ichigo almost growled. "Cut the crap, Byakuya! Just say exactly what's on your mind for once without the bullshit! Be honest with me!" He turned his scowling face frontwards stubbornly.

There was an agonizingly long wait. Ichigo was sure Byakuya would just skip out and leave him here to ponder this all night on his own.  _Coward!_  Why did this guy have to make everything so difficult?! However…much to Ichigo's astonishment the other soul reaper sat down next to him in a similar fashion. And when he looked over, Byakuya appeared the same as he had in his bedroom, without his façade. His brows were furrowed, but it didn't look like a stony expression of anger or annoyance or coldness, rather it seemed anxious and apprehensive.

"Tell me why you kissed me?" the noble inquired plainly, eyes steady and unwavering on the substitute shinigami.

" _Why?"_  Ichigo returned the fixed gaze and told him incredulously, "Because you're driving me crazy, I couldn't stop myself that's why. Everyone always says I rush into things, I dunno maybe they're right. Can you believe I only realized this a few days ago! But once I did…it…it just  _hit_  me. Don't get me wrong, I was freaked out at first. We're  _guys_."

"I'm quite aware of that," Byakuya mused, but he urged gently, "Go on."

Ichigo looked away bashfully, but stated straightforwardly, "I think I've liked you for a while, but I never really understood what I was feeling until…"

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi..."

The human shinigami touched the protection charm at his throat. "Yeah... He told me what this thing really did. I…I had no idea you cared about me enough to want to protect me like this, to put yourself in harm's way. I guess knowing that you felt even that much made me recognize why I felt all crazy when I was around you all this time."

"'All this time'?" asked Byakuya curiously.

Ichigo ran a hand over his hair and sighed, "I dunno…just kinda a while."

Byakuya would have to accept that.

The vizard gave a snort, "Here I am, laying it all on the line…risking losing you as a friend, which was hard enough to achieve in the first place, and I don't even know how you  _really_  feel about me. You kissed me too, dammit! You can't deny it!"

"I'm not going to deny it," Byakuya replied quietly and assured, "Ichigo, you have not provoked my loss of friendship."

Unsure what to say, Ichigo could only gaze at the sincerity written all over the noble's normally stoic face. Ichigo always knew this man existed but he'd buried it so deep, guarded it so strongly. To see him exposed like this was humbling.

"You have no idea how difficult this is for me since I lost my wife. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. Every shred of warmth I felt died the moment she did. Or, I thought it did. I've been mourning for decades…until…"

Softly, Ichigo said, "Stop, you don't have to explain all this to me—"

"— _if_  I'm to sit here and discuss my actions with you tonight, then let me. If you want my honesty, then listen, because I may not be able to find the audacity to do so again," Byakuya expressed sternly, bearing himself before Ichigo. What did he have to fear? Rejection…? Ichigo had not, by all means, rejected him earlier. Ichigo had the courage to bare a part of his soul and tell him the truth. Byakuya knew the innocence of this man by now…Ichigo did not say or do things he did not mean. All that was required of him now was to share his part of the truth, even if nothing ever comes from telling it.

"Sorry," Ichigo responded, his voice tremulous. He realized that Byakuya walked on his vulnerability like a tight rope…one wrong move, one misbalanced step and that was it, game over. The human soul reaper could understand that.

"It's alright. I'm not going to speak to you novels worth of my misery," Byakuya spoke to the night in front of him. "I volunteered to come here because I knew I may never get another chance to…be this close to you.  _I wanted that!_ " he nearly hissed. "I needed to see if I was chasing pointless dreams. Until you came along…I was dead inside." The noble scoffed, "I never imagined you'd feel anything in return for me, not ever, the allusion impossible. Imagine my surprise earlier…that is the only reason I can tell you this now."

Awestruck, the vizard murmured, "How…how long have you felt this way?"

"Long enough," the shinigami captain answered shortly.

"You were afraid to tell me this because you thought I wouldn't take it seriously," Ichigo claimed, "That I'd laugh at you or something, right?"

The noble's eyebrows rose, he faced the other man again but he remained silent.

"I don't joke about feelings, Byakuya."

"I know."

"But I…I…don't know what to do about these feelings," Ichigo stammered, completely floored by where this conversation was going.

"You don't have to say or do anything, Ichigo," the noble assured him.

But Ichigo shook his head softly, "No…I mean. What becomes of this?"

Byakuya had nothing to lose and everything to gain, if he dared to. He was tired of hiding, tired of depending on some ridiculous dream to placate his solitude, tired of denying himself a shred of happiness! Hadn't he suffered enough?! Hadn't he inflicted enough penance for past mistakes? This wasn't the kind of man he wished to be, and he was ready, ready to move on. Rules did not affect Ichigo and none of his own rules should matter about how he felt about the man. If being with a man was against the rules, according to family standards…then perhaps he should  _change_ it. Byakuya allowed himself a superior moment to boast in his own noble power, but it didn't last long. Of course it wouldn't be in the best interest of his clan, but he did not care what they wanted. This was  _his_  personal affair; it had nothing to do with family and he didn't know if it ever would. He wasn't about to drag the Kuchiki name through mud or eschew from his duties. _Never!_  He could not even concern himself with hurting his pride, because Ichigo had long become a part of it!

Who knows where this would take them, where they would be after this assignment, but right now none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was the person sitting next to him and the way he made everything feel right.

The noble reached over with his  _tekkou-_ clad hand and gently brushed his fingertips through the younger man's hair, as if tucking a few stray strands neatly behind his ear. He leaned over, placing his lips next to Ichigo's ear and spoke with an able sultry voice, "It can be whatever you want, Ichigo. Fear not…there is no rush to find all the answers right now. We have plenty of time."

Goosebumps grew all over Ichigo's skin, tremors travelled across his entire body from that solitary touch and that deep, velvety voice next to his ear. The noble shinigami had placed all his cards on the table and then some!

"Wow…you like  _me_ ," Ichigo murmured incredibly.

"Yes."

"I like you too, Byakuya."

The Captain of the Sixth gave a valid chuckle and a smile. It felt good to be wrong sometimes.

Ichigo's eyes widened merrily, "I like that sound."

Byakuya scoffed dryly.

Ichigo shuffled closer to the man on the roof and admitted, "I feel so stupid…I'm not very experienced at this sorta stuff, you know. I just do what I feel is right."

"Like staring at me from over the rim of your blanket, correct?" the noble taunted.

Ichigo turned every shade of red. He didn't think he'd noticed!

"I'm flattered," Byakuya said genuinely.

With a grunt Ichigo proclaimed, "Well, you shouldn't just wander around in only a towel!"

Or drop it for that matter…

"My apologies," the Kuchiki heir replied affably.

Slightly indignant, yet completely turned on by aforementioned matters, Ichigo couldn't resist wanting to touch Byakuya again, though he was hesitant. He didn't know where to start this time. Knowing that he had full sanction to touch  _this_  man was exceedingly daunting.

The Gotei captain was unmoving and watching him intently.

At last, Ichigo found his hand reaching for the side of Byakuya's face, his thumb brushing over the crest of his pale cheekbone, the smooth skin cool from the night air. The noble closed his eyes and Ichigo took it as a sign that he enjoyed it. Between his fingers, he touched the slippery-soft locks of hair that escaped from the kenseikan crowning the top of noble's head. His mind spun dizzily, knowing he was touching Byakuya Kuchiki this way.

"You're beautiful…" dared the human soul reaper, breathlessly.

Byakuya slowly opened his eyes. His reply came in the form of a kiss. He brought his lips to Ichigo's softly, tenderly. Their hands found purchase on each other and the kiss became an embracing one.

After a few pleasing moments, Ichigo drew his mouth away gradually, but he didn't let go of the man he found such pleasure in holding, "I really can't fight you…"

"Please, stop saying that," Byakuya reproved.

The substitute finally got it and laughed, "Sorry, my bad."


	11. Come As You Are

Afraid to aggravate his family again with suffocating reiatsu, Ichigo decided he'd have to be careful of the type of activities he and Byakuya partook, inside his bedroom. Byakuya may be able to control his spiritual energy most of the time but Ichigo discovered the man couldn't always focus on that in the heat of the moment.

Which is why, they'd spent a good part of the night on the rooftop of his house attached at the mouth with modest conversation, but plenty of roaming hands. There was almost no part of Byakuya's body that Ichigo did not touch last night, even if most of that touching was over clothing.

Once exhausted, Byakuya had urged that they get some rest, that morning came very quickly. But that only led them to Ichigo's bed, where more kissing and touching took place. Knowing that their actions could quickly fly out of control again, Ichigo forced himself to stop. Although, he insisted that Byakuya stay right where he was, next to him with his arms holding him close. Ichigo wasn't ready to let go yet. The tired captain barely put up a fuss and inevitably passed out on top of his bed from exhaustion.

In the morning, Ichigo was awakened when something nudged him in the side. He felt weight pressed down against his ribcage. Opening his tired eyes, he glanced down across his chest. There was an arm awkwardly propped against his chest, then he looked over. Next to him Byakuya was fast asleep on his back.

Instantly, he felt more  _alive_.

It wasn't a very big bed so there wasn't much room to sprawl. Ichigo smiled and wondered if Byakuya was a sprawler? Well, as long as he didn't shove or kick him out of the bed, Ichigo didn't think he minded if Byakuya sprawled all over him. He sighed with contentment and watched the man sleeping, his head right next to his on the pillow they shared. The noble never seemed so at peace before. Long, dark lashes resting on the crests of his pale cheeks, soft pink lips slightly parted and relaxed. His dark hair like the soft, glossy silk of a spider's web was mused and pooled around his shoulders.

Sleep? Who cared about sleep when he had this sight to stare at?

They'd fallen asleep in their soul reaper forms, still fully dressed on top of the blankets. Neatly folded on the table nearby was the Captain of the Sixth's haori, scarf and on top of all that the Kuchiki headpieces and tekkou. As Ichigo lay there, he still could not believe how the noble had opened up to him last night. How easy it had become to make real conversation once they were direct with each other. Who knew that the train of their honesty rode the same track? That all this time they'd held some form of affection for each other. Ichigo knew that it had to have been very difficult for Byakuya to do that, admitting he was here because he wanted to be close to him…Ichigo felt beyond words. Warmth spread through him, right down to his toes. He wondered if the shinigami would have ever confronted him if Zero and all this guardian stuff never came up, that if he'd never barged into the captain's meeting demanding to go home. It didn't matter now, Ichigo thought. And it didn't matter what anyone else thought about this either. But it wasn't like he was going to go shout it to the world that he was amorously involved with the noble…right now he needed to figure everything out first, to understand what was happening between them. And maybe…he kind of wanted to have Byakuya  _all_  to himself for a bit and explore this new venture they'd unearthed while he had the chance to be this close to him.

Ichigo felt like he walked on cloud nine.

The vizard blinked.  _Nine?_

What time was it? He remembered he hadn't had an alarm clock to set and looked at his watch on his wrist promptly. It was only seven in the morning.  _Phew!_  He had plenty of time since his class today didn't start until ten on Tuesday. He let himself relax, allowed himself the continued study of the aristocratic, quiescent Kuchiki heir.

Yeah, it had to be a bold move on Byakuya's part to seek him out like this considering where he was coming from, an old dignified family of which he was the head. Ichigo could remember when this man cared about nothing but his damned rules. All of which he followed rigidly to soothe his guilt, his believed acts of dishonour. Ichigo could not see Byakuya's past choices as something dishonourable.  _Could not!_  What was wrong with simply falling in love with someone, or taking in her sister as family? How could there be rules about something like that? It shouldn't be anyone else's say no matter what family you were from! Ichigo asked himself this many, many times and he could never come up with a good answer. But it seemed that Byakuya came to understand his error of such personal strict ideals and slowly chipped away at that shell of his—years of snail-paced chipping…

And now here he was sound asleep on his bed! Ichigo felt as if he'd won first prize for something. He twittered at his stupid thoughts, twittered at the way he was acting like such a dumbass…a happy dumbass.

But it felt too good, that suddenly Ichigo worried about it being taken away. He couldn't help it, it was still a fear he harboured deep inside since childhood. He didn't like to dwell on those things, but sometimes it was hard not to feel it! His eyes narrowed as he watched Byakuya's midsection rise and fall evenly. What if that bastard was more than Byakuya could withstand when he came back?  _Zero._

His desire to protect Byakuya was stronger than ever.

Ichigo felt as though he had to act now, but what could he do? Anxiously, he found himself fingering the talisman he wore and stopped abruptly. Of course! He had to take off this charm! Then, Byakuya couldn't follow him so easily when Zero returns. It might give him enough time to finish off Zero before anyone else could follow his trail. Ever so gently, he picked up Byakuya's arm by the wrist and moved it aside and sat at the edge of the bed. He reached up and unclasped the protection talisman from around his neck.  _Sorry Byakuya, let the enemy come and get me…I won't let him have you!_

Now, where could he hide this thing?

Behind him Byakuya stirred and Ichigo's heart leapt! Hastily, he stuffed the charm between the box spring and mattress of his bed. Then glanced behind him quickly— _phew!_  The noble was still sleeping like an angel.

Ichigo's heart was still pounding!

Once he calmed down, Ichigo curiously realized Kon was still AWOL. Ichigo saw his human body which was still prone on Byakuya's abandoned futon and entered it. He stood up and went to the door. Just as he opened it to go in search of the modified soul, Kon stood before him completely redesigned. He was wearing a plushie-sized black tuxedo complete with black bow-tie and a golden cumberbund.

He didn't look happy and began to wail, "THAT'S IT! I'M RUNNING AWAY FROM HERE AND NEVER COMING BACK!" The golden lion stormed into the room, he glanced quickly at Byakuya but continued his rant, "I want my Nee-san! She would have come looking for me and saved me from that  _thing_  you call a sister! She would hold me close to her tiny bosoms, cooing sweet-nothings in my ear, and never have let me be dragged to school with a bunch of shrilling teenage girls!" He peered at Ichigo's bed once more. "Bring my Nee…"

 _Oi?_  He stopped and gaped, "What's that  _guy_  doing in my bed?"

Ichigo closed the door and whispered heatedly, " _Your bed?_  Shut up already, you're being too loud. You'll wake him up."

A low groan came from Ichigo's bed. "I'm afraid his tirade has already accomplished the task," spoke a notable deep voice. Byakuya sat up and scowled sleepily at the noisy stuffed animal.

The vizard shot Kon an irritated look, but it magically changed into an apologetic one when he faced Byakuya. "I'm sorry about that. I'll gag him and you can get more rest if you want," Ichigo offered. "I should get ready for school, but I have a few hours."

Kon's jaw dropped with indignation. "Why you—"

Ichigo squished the plushie to silence under his socked foot.

"No…I'm fine," the captain insisted but sat there, zoned out and blinking softly as he still woke up.

It seemed as if the captain might fall back to sleep sitting up, Ichigo looked on at this thoughtfully. Byakuya was so attractive all sleepy-eyed and sporting bed head. Ichigo was tempted to forget school and crawl back into bed and spend the rest of the morning planting goofy kisses all over that sleepy face. His cheeks turned red with the sudden sappy thoughts.

"Stop staring at me," the noble chided.

Ichigo shrugged. "I can't help it  _and_  you can't stop me," he assured him cockily.

The captain frowned grumpily.

Hmm, maybe Byakuya wasn't a morning person, but on the other hand they hadn't gotten that much sleep last night. Ichigo said more carefully this time, "Anyways, I'm going to go clean up and change…I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast." With that he released Kon from under his foot and dashed out of the room.

Byakuya felt the corners of his mouth tug at how silly Ichigo was being, but remembered he was still supposed to be upset for being disturbed this morning—the smile vanished.

Kon and the Gotei Captain glared at each other.

* * *

Ichigo managed to get through the next couple of days without any strange occurrences. There was no zanpakuto's following him to school, Zero was silent, no distress about missing a particular guardian, and no crazy surprises in art class today. Byakuya hadn't even noticed the missing charm. Nope, the last few days were good, actually they were great!

He never thought he could feel this great knowing the object of his affection was a member of the same sex. But none of that seemed to matter anymore. The last few days with Byakuya were actually some of the best days of his life. Ichigo was sure of it. They were simple, normal days...days that were beginning to feel as if Byakuya had always been here. They went to school together, but Byakuya would only attend his art class. For the other classes he sent Senbonzakura to and spent his free time in the library or the cafeteria or in the empty art room with permission from Mrs. Uesugi. When school was finished they went home together, and none of Ichigo's friends knew there was anything more going on between them. They kept their hands off each other up until the very second Ichigo closed his bedroom door. But even then they couldn't fulfill all their desires since they were still inside the house, and Ichigo wasn't ready to bring more attention of his budding romance to his father. Frustrated, but disciplined, Ichigo finished his homework first while Byakuya would lie on his bed curiously reading Rukia's manga collection that she kept in the closet. After dinner, they would patrol Karakura Town where Byakuya took the opportunity to teach Ichigo some tricky new flash steps. And each night ended with them lying in his bed talking and touching, and a lot of shared kisses. Then they would fall asleep beside each other.

Lately, Kon found himself locked out of the room, and forced to sleep with Yuzu's teddy bears.

Yeah...Ichigo thought. Everything was ridiculously cool.

Now, if he could only learn to keep his mouth shut when it came to Rukia and Byakuya's drawings he'd be fine, everything would be perfect.

"What is it with you and that thing?" Ichigo questioned Byakuya today as they continued to make illustrations with their calligraphy characters in art class today.

The noble, wearing his dark blue jeans and Converse again with only the white button-up shirt, looked utterly insulted. "It is not a 'thing'," he droned icily. "If you must know, I call it Wakame Taishi."

"It has a _name?"_

Unlike his sister Rukia, Byakuya did not strike him. Instead, he glowered and turned his back on him. That hurt almost as much as being punched.

"Ok…I'm sorry, but why seaweed ambassador? I'm dying to know."

Understatedly, the captain faced him again. "Because it clearly tops the food chain for being one of the most nutritious foods, you could probably live on it alone. That or bananas, of course," remarked the shinigami haughtily. "It deserves such a title."

The vizard just blinked. "Well…ok then," answered Ichigo cautiously, resuming his own drawing with his  _Protect_  character.

"I do not see how you can patronize my work when you are drawing fairies," Byakuya claimed callously.

Ichigo gaped, "They're not fairies—they're knights! Look, they even have a shield and swords."

"Of course…" the noble said faintly.

The vizard hung his head in defeat.

On the way home, Ichigo slipped his hands into his jacket and felt something nip under his fingernail as they walked. He extracted the sharp intrusion. "I totally forgot about this," he said, holding up the concert tickets Keigo had given him a few days ago.

Oh shit! They were for tonight!

Looking over at Byakuya who strolled beside him, he asked, "Say, have you ever been to a concert?"

The Gotei captain eyed the slips of paper in Ichigo's hand, "If you mean something akin to a real world symphony, then yes, once."

"Hmm…I dunno if this is exactly like a symphony, although I was told this band actually plays a wild mix of symphony, opera and metal…so, it's probably not as formal," Ichigo explained. "Do you wanna go?"

"A date…?"

Ichigo blushed at that. "I…I guess if you wanna call it that," he managed and chuckled embarrassedly.

Byakuya smirked complacently at Ichigo's naiveté. How delightful. "Alright," he agreed, but had a thought, "What is the appropriate attire for this function?"

"Come as you are," the substitute shinigami told him, and then for some reason blushed again even harder.

For the first time in a long time the noble chortled roguishly.

* * *

After washing up, and a little bit of primping on Ichigo's part, they left the house again for a night on the town and forwent dinner at home.

Ichigo could probably count the number of dates in his life on one hand. And most had been when he was just a teenager! It wasn't something he urgently sought out, romance or girlfriends— _boy_ friends. These things mostly came to him, instead of him going to them. He was too shy and because he was too much of a loner. But he didn't feel as though Byakuya was invading his space in the small amount of time he'd been around him, not even the time when he was staying at the Kuchiki manor. The man definitely wasn't clingy and in his face. Ichigo liked that. He was sure to provide the soul reaper with the same respect and freedoms. But that didn't mean he didn't want to touch him…since this was so fresh and new, it was  _all_  he wanted. He got the impression Byakuya felt that way, too.

Since the captain called this a 'date', Ichigo felt obligated to look his best. He wanted to show off a little, to crow. So, he chose his best pair of black jeans with a belt, his most flattering, aqua-coloured Billabong t-shirt and an ash-grey, hooded zip-up fleece over top. He actually styled his hair with a small amount of product, so it looked messy on purpose but it still felt soft. And he even used some cologne he owned but rarely used, it was a gift from his sister Yuzu. There were even a few breath mints in his pocket.

While they waited for the bus, Ichigo openly admired Byakuya in those nice leather shoes he had on when he first showed up at his art class, the dark blue jeans from earlier, and had changed his shirt which was a long-sleeved, light beige button-up, the collar resting over the down-turned collar of his leather jacket. Ichigo's eyes landed on the exposed area of Byakuya's collarbone where he'd left a few buttons undone, and wet his lips. Man, did he look  _good_  and Ichigo told him so.

Byakuya awarded him with a tiny smile, and smouldering grey eyes. "Your appearance pleases me as well, Ichigo," he said and inhaled distinctly, "And you smell edible."

The human shinigami chuckled.

The concert hall downtown was busy and bustling with people, red lights glowing up along the side of the huge building. Inside, Ichigo handed over the tickets to an agent and Byakuya was affronted to find himself patted down by a burly security guard. The vizard tried not to snicker at this and explained to the captain why that was procedure here for concerts, clubs or some sporting events. Once they passed inspection, they found their seats. Much to their surprise it was a balcony seat overlooking the entire hall with a great view of the stage and orchestra below. There were about twenty seats in this section, which wouldn't make it at all crowded.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Ichigo, "Keigo's sister gave up some really good seats. There's no way this was cheap stuff."

Byakuya was simply happy he wasn't down below getting mauled by that standing group of fans so close to the stage. He didn't think being a part of that cesspool all evening could be much fun. "Yes, these seats appear to be acceptable."

"How about after the concert we go somewhere to eat? A drink maybe?" Ichigo offered, looking over at the raven-haired man next to him, wanting to provide him with a decent date to remember.

The noble shinigami gently rest his hand on top of the vizards' affectionately, "Anything you wish."

"Aw, come on. I want you to want to, too," Ichigo urged, "That's the whole point. I mean, I dunno, maybe there is something you want to do in the real world that I don't know about. But I can't figure them out if you don't tell me, Byakuya."

The Kuchiki heir understood what Ichigo was saying. Not only was he giving him the chance to exploit his time in the real world and offering to be his accomplice, but it was his way of asking him to try things together that they may  _both_  enjoy. It was actually very thoughtful, although, Byakuya couldn't think of many things he wanted to do in the human world. He enjoyed the beach in the real world; he didn't think he minded the shopping, he found those fast, flashy automobiles and motorcycles really interesting, and he enjoyed that art class…hmm…

"You're not sure, are you?" questioned the substitute with realization. "Okay, no sweat…there's a lot of interesting places or things to do. If you discover something you might like, don't be afraid to tell me, alright? Tonight we'll just do dinner."

The captain gave a slight nod and remembered one thing he'd like to try, and he felt he could express it to Ichigo. "I would like to see a movie. I heard others in Soul Society discussing them, but I've never attended one," Byakuya admitted. He didn't have much inclination to venture off to the real world often for self-indulgence. He didn't want to divulge, but sometimes he felt out of the loop. And most of the time it was his own stubborn fault.

"Really?" murmured the vizard. "Well then, I'll have to take you to one sometime."

Byakuya nodded and opened up the program booklet he was given upon their arrival here at the concert hall. He was silent as he read it.

"What's it say?" asked Ichigo.

"The performance is to be presented in English so I'm reading the lyrics here provided in Japanese," he stated matter-of-factly.

Ah, good idea thought Ichigo but pointed towards the stage. "See that screen down there above the stage? They will probably provide captions so we can follow the songs as well."

How very interesting, Byakuya thought.

About ten minutes later, the lights were dimmed and the stage lit up with programmed, multi-coloured flashes, green laser beams of light dancing over the audience. The band took the stage, clad in Gothic like costumes, leather, heavy boots, wild hair and eccentric accessories. They introduced themselves to the crowd. Accompanying the band was a full choir of men and women all dressed in pure white situated on the left, and an orchestra down in front—this band really did come with the works! The lead singer, a beautiful woman with flowing, dark hair, clad entirely in vermillion red, stepped up to a microphone of the same colour. To Ichigo they definitely appeared a hard rock band, but he was surprised when the orchestra and choir below filled up the hall with fast paced rhythms and beautiful voices, accompanied by very rapid guitar playing.

It was loud, fast and it seemed to thump right through his body. Ichigo loved this heavy stuff and shot a glance at Byakuya who was simply staring at the stage below. It was hard to figure out what he was thinking.

Then the woman in red began to sing, opera no less! Yet, somehow amid the heavy metal guitar, the powerful hammering symphony, the choir's angelic vocals, the lead singer's melodic voice made it all seemed to work. Ichigo had no idea what she was saying and he didn't read the subtitles, but it was still entrancing. He sat there quietly and watched the powerful performances, glad that he'd decided to come see this.

Near the end of the show, the band announced their last song. The crowd, it seemed, had been waiting for this particular song all evening.

Byakuya didn't think he'd blinked once so far, at least he wasn't conscious of it. This had to be  _the_  most powerful music he'd ever heard in his entire life! He was enchanted by the stimulating, soul-shuddering sounds that went from soft and virtuous to hard and relentless. Before he knew it, it was nearing the end. Just now the audience was showing great enthusiasm for this last song. Even the title of it caught his attention.

_Ghost Love Score_

It began with powerful drums, full choir and orchestra. He could hear the strings, and the horns. Then fierce, intense, harmonious guitars drove into the mix. The woman began to sign, her voice was so beautiful. And in this song it sounded so tragic, torn. Byakuya held his breath and listened, he read some of the lyrics.

 _My fall will be for you_  
My love will be in you  
If you be the one to cut me  
I'll bleed forever

_Into the blue memory_

_A siren from the deep came to me_  
Sang my name my longing  
Still I write my songs about that dream of mine  
Worth everything I may ever be

Such moving words and in them Byakuya felt as if he could relate to them somehow, as if the song described parts of himself. He thought, from perilous dreams, he'd sought and wandered into the vast unknown, his longing. He glanced wondrously at the man seated next to him. He read some more.

 _Redeem me into childhood_  
Show me myself without the shell  
Like the advent of May  
I`ll be there when you say  
Time to never hold our love

This song pricked at the most endearing segments of his life, his Hisana, his sister…his parents. It brought forth a rush of adrenaline and unexpected emotion. Byakuya's throat began to feel completely choked up and he involuntarily grasped the chair arm, eyes still on the stage.

Startled, Ichigo darted his eyes on Byakuya who'd suddenly clutched his arm almost painfully hard. He was about to say something when he realized the man's attention was still on the stage, maybe Byakuya didn't even know he'd done that. He'd been spurred by the music he was hearing. Ichigo had to admit this final song was utterly compelling. But his awareness was not so much focused on the performance; in fact he could barely hear it as he found himself seduced by the look on the Byakuya's face right now. Caught in a moment of marvel, the noble had his lips parted slightly, brows held up in mild awe, but his eyes—that's what Ichigo found most mesmerizing. They were glistening as if the man might begin to weep at any moment, Ichigo couldn't tear his eyes away… He stayed utterly silent and allowed the death god to enjoy what the music was doing for him. Music had a way of reaching into your spirit and making you feel, and even Byakuya was helpless to it. When it was over and the band said their farewells, Ichigo then reversed the grip on his arm and warmly took Byakuya's fisted hand in his own.

"That was pretty cool stuff, huh?" Ichigo murmured, still watching the captain.

"Truly captivating…" breathed Byakuya and focused such sad eyes on Ichigo, his jaw clenched tight and swallowing thickly.

The vizard blinked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"That song…" The noble didn't finish and hastily stood up from his seat, and went to leave.

Ichigo wore a look of understanding and quickly chased after the man, chuckling to himself about how Byakuya could be such a softy. They left the concert hall and walked under the night sky in total silence for awhile, drawing farther away from crowds and sidewalks full of people. It was peaceful and not at all unsettling this time, this quiet they shared.

Overhead, the sky was once more dotted by a vibrant crescent moon and twinkling stars.


	12. On Top of the World

After the concert, they walked down a quiet street. As they passed under the bare light of a streetlamp, Byakuya suddenly came to a halt and Ichigo turned around to face him attentively.

"What is it?" he asked.

The noble said nothing, but levelled fervent dark eyes on him. Swiftly, Ichigo found himself grabbed by the scruff and drawn into a crushing kiss.

Ichigo released a surprised sound but melted against the powerful shinigami's demanding mouth like ice to hot stone. Amused, he wondered briefly if the concert had gotten the captain all wound up. No matter, he fiercely swept the noble up in his arms, bringing their bodies together and deepening the unexpected joining. Gawd, Byakuya was intoxicating and this possessive side of him was always turning Ichigo on! He gave Byakuya total control, which he noticed he often did, realizing he relished in this feeling of being overpowered, dominated. For once this was a battle he did not wish to struggle in or win.

Feeling frustrated by the boundaries set by his father's house rules, Ichigo wanted more than anything to see more of the captain, to taste him…to  _feel_  him.

Over the kiss, Byakuya deplored breathily, "I want out of this gigai."

"Hmmm," sounded Ichigo, half-hearing the noble's request, hands too busy moving over the other's back and over his firm rear, his mouth tugging on the man's lower lip gently.

There was a giggle and voices coming from the other side of the street. It caused Byakuya to pull away. Ichigo turned scarlet as he noted three ladies pointedly watching them. He hesitantly put space between the noble and himself.

"Um…are you hungry, Byakuya? Should we go eat?" wondered Ichigo, unsure what to do now.

"Food is the furthest thing from my mind," assured the noble, "But if you are in need, then I will wait."

He would wait, huh? Ichigo smirked. Though, he didn't think his body really wanted to wait. "Maybe we should go somewhere else," he suggested, knowing full well what he was insinuating. Sex...

Ichigo's palms began to feel damp. The very idea made him nervous and excited at the same time. Ichigo was curious about the next step and he knew in his heart that if Byakuya was willing to take it, he was willing to give it. The vizard knew of the perfect place and thought of a great addition to his proposal. He began to walk back from the way they came.

"I know exactly what we can do. Come on."

Intrigued, Byakuya decided to trust the human and followed, noting his sexually heated reiatsu. Mmm, it was like following a sweet, robust trail of blooms in the sticky heat of summer. It drove Byakuya mad. He hoped this detour wouldn't take long; he really wasn't feeling very patient. How he wished that they were back in Soul Society right now, inside his manor where not a soul would  _dare_  interrupt them. As he followed Ichigo's scent, he treated his mind to all the places in Soul Society he'd like to play with Ichigo, and thought of all the wicked things he wanted to do to him. He nearly groaned from the state he was putting his body into while still wearing pants...he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Such was the plight of being stuck in the human world.

Moments later, they arrived out front of a convenient store. Ichigo told him to wait outside and he'd be right back.

"Very well," Byakuya muttered.

There was no way Ichigo could do what he was about to do with the eyes of the Kuchiki heir watching.  _No way!_  Seeking every ounce of his bravery to accomplish what he had in mind he wandered around. Perfect, he picked up two bento boxes and a couple of drinks. Satisfied, Ichigo wandered by the produce section and stopped. He spotted an array of fruits and vegetables and grinned deviously, remembering Byakuya's and his conversation in art today—seaweed and bananas. Byakuya regarded nutrition highly, so as a playful joke, he picked up two bananas. Then finally, he went in search of the last item, the item that required every fragment of his strength. Ichigo paled at that thought and felt ready to heave.  _Am I crazy? Is this stuff necessary?_ As inexperienced as he was at these 'male' things, he understood how it was supposed to work. He had the Internet, geesh! Ichigo snatched a bottle of lubricant off the shelf and stormed to the checkout. Red as a beet, he didn't breathe or look the cashier in the eye as he paid for his purchases.

His inner Hollow was howling with laughter at him, "What a pussy! HA HA!"

Ichigo told him to shut it. Then he practically ran out of the shop and met up with Byakuya outside.

"What is that?" he asked looking at the bag and then at Ichigo, "What's the matter? Why do you look so ill?"

Ichigo made a pained sound in his throat after what he just went through. "Don't ask," he pleaded and held up the bag, "This is dinner."

Since they were stuck in their human and gigai form, Ichigo suggested they stop off at his house and leave again in soul reaper form. They did just that and quickly arrived at the destination Ichigo had in mind.

The escarpment over-looking the town...

"You brought me back here," Byakuya said attentively, admiring the city from above.

"Yeah, it's a good place to…err…get away from my house. I thought, why not bring dinner," Ichigo explained. "It's nice here and peaceful…it's a warm night, thankfully." Ichigo wanted to steer clear of his house. For just a little while he didn't want to worry about their reiatsu giving away their actions in his bedroom.

"Hmm... A picnic without a blanket or the midday sun and the shade of a tree," mused the noble.

"Yeah, sorry about that...I guess this is a little unconventional," Ichigo told him quietly.

Byakuya noted the serene natural setting, the darkest recesses of the foliage twinkling with fireflies and the rest diffused with the soft glow of the waning moon. The air smelled of flowers and earth, and he couldn't sense a soul for miles. Byakuya assured, "No, its fine."

Senbonzakura would call it romantic…

Ichigo exhaled with relief and led his guardian to an area closer to the trees and shrubbery, on softer, grassy ground. He set his purchases down and removed Zangetsu from his back placing its tethered form on the grass gently. Byakuya did the same and removed his scabbard containing his zanpakuto and set it next to Ichigo's.

Then they stood there watching each other for a moment. Not a flicker of emotion on either one's face.

"What are you thinking?" whispered Byakuya, his eyes steadied on Ichigo's even as he reached up for his scarf and delicately began to remove it.

Blinking, Ichigo tried to find words to say, but lost them completely the moment Byakuya draped his silky windflower scarf around his shoulders and used it to gently lure him closer.

Ichigo gave a goofy grin, moving in closer by controlling, yet gentle force. His heart leaped in his chest.

"Come on, tell me," Byakuya encouraged.

Body to body, they stood.

"I'm thinking that…I want you," the human shinigami murmured, his voice thick with ardour.

With a final tug on the scarf, Byakuya brought their lips together.

Byakuya wanted him, too.  _More than anything!_  He let go of the scarf and ran his hands around Ichigo's side and up the redhead's back, smoothing his palms over the black cloth and dug his fingertips into him as they kissed. Parting his lips and granting access, the captain met Ichigo's sweet tongue with his own. The sensation stirred his body back to life and he released a groan of divine pleasure as their mouth's explored sensually.

Byakuya's sounds of pleasure made Ichigo's cock twitch. He moaned his own appreciation, hoping to encourage the other soul reaper to continue with his sensual song as he kissed him fully, openly.

The Kuchiki heir swallowed their shared juices, his breath quickening. The ache he felt was becoming nearly painful as it brushed over Ichigo's equally growing stiffness. He pulled away, lips glistening by light of the moon and tugged off his wrist guards, one by one. He dropped them listlessly to the ground.

The tranquil evening was broken with mild panting as both took another moment to share a longing gaze at each other.

Ichigo slipped his hands under the Sixth Division haori and gently pushed it off Byakuya's shoulders. It landed at their feet with a soft  _swush_. That was followed by the noble who, in one fluid motion, untied the white sash and subtly spread Ichigo's kosode, exposing his smooth, defined chest. Demanding more, Byakuya unabashedly released the material and then planted his palms, fingers spread over Ichigo's hot skin, brushing them over his pectorals and up to a pair of strong shoulders, slipping the upper layer of his uniform off. The scarf went with it to the grass.

The human soul reaper trembled and closed his eyes. "Byakuya…" he sighed, his breath coming in exulted rushes as those hands touched him.

Spoken the very same way inside his dreams—his name, hearing it like that made Byakuya's heart swell and his arousal ache even more. He savoured the moment as he covetously touched, discovering every beautiful definition of Ichigo's upper body, his abdomen, his neck. He wanted to memorize every ridge, every bump, to claim each patch of flesh with his hands. Ichigo was lovely and his body in excellent shape, perfect proportions of muscle and limbs. Byakuya wanted to know if it tasted just as lovely, and brought his lips to heated flesh. He peppered kisses along Ichigo's neck, over his collarbone and drew his tongue down, swirling it over a hardened nipple before suckling it and nipping softly with his teeth.

Ichigo's entire body jerked, he gave a faint whimper.

Never had his body been touched like this before, not even by a girl. If he wasn't so turned-on, if he didn't find Byakuya so unbelievably sexy, he might have found this display embarrassing. He would probably chuckle stupidly. But, this felt so damn  _good._  It was Byakuya making him feel this way and it felt so right. There was no blushing or stupid laughing; he just wanted to feel more of what the captain had to offer.

Byakuya was silent, save for a few delectable sighs as he embarked on a journey with his lips and his tongue, savouring the saltiness he tasted as he made a trail of wet kisses. He came to rest on his knees in the soft grass and boldly stripped Ichigo of his hakama and undergarments. It wasn't like he hadn't felt these parts of Ichigo's body, but he had yet to taste it. He smiled slyly, roving his hands up along hard naked thighs and claimed Ichigo's firm ass with them. He gave it a hard squeeze. Byakuya was tempted to order Ichigo to turn around so he could admire both sides of him, but he wanted to give Ichigo something more. He wet his lips and leaned in, drawing the tip of his tongue along the underside of Ichigo's throbbing length that stood so prominently at his attention. There was a sudden spike in human's spiritual pressure and a pair of hands abruptly tried to clasp into his hair, dislodging the kenseikan.

" _Ho-ly shit…"_  the vizard mewled blissfully.

Pleased with himself, Byakuya paused for a moment to remove the top headpiece that was knocked askew and dropped it aimlessly to the ground. He moved in again, holding Ichigo firmly by his hips and wrapped his lips around his ample erection, tending to it slowly, moving his tongue over the silky skin as he did so. Ichigo was putty in his hands, or perhaps his mouth, Byakuya thought and produced a diminutive naughty chuckle in the back of his throat. He drew back and explored the turgid tip with his tongue, tasting the bitter-sweet tang of pre-ejaculate. Sighing, Byakuya swallowed up the length again, this time picking up his pace.

Ichigo thought his legs would forget how they were supposed to work. His body was on fire! His mind numbed from sensory overload. All he could do was direct his eyes downward and watch as Byakuya took him in that perfect mouth. It required everything he had not to come right then and there. No…he didn't want to come yet, Byakuya was still dressed! No fair!

Unsure where he found the force to do so, he pulled out of the captain's hot, talented mouth and settled on his knees on the grass before him.

"My turn," Ichigo insisted.

Byakuya rest back on his haunches and Ichigo moved in, claiming the man's lips with his own once more with sweet urgency. His hands went for raven locks again, but met another obstruction. Ichigo's left hand blindly tugged the second headpiece from the noble's hair gently. He dropped it and threaded his fingers greedily into silken tresses. Ichigo purred against Byakuya's lips and tasted the unique tang from his own body on the other man's tongue. Still wanting to sample that ivory skin, the vizard ventured away from noble lips to kiss along the captain's jaw and nuzzle under his chin.

The noble soul reaper let his head fall back with an open-mouthed sigh, exposing the pale column of his throat.

Marking the man with wet tracks, Ichigo's tongue laved up along Byakuya's neck and over a pulsing vein, tasting luscious tender skin. As he gave attention with his mouth, his hands were working the kosode off Byakuya's shoulders, pushing the material open until it hung loosely down around the noble's elbows and uncovered the upper half of his body. Ichigo drew back to admire the virtue before him, the way Byakuya sat there intimately ravaged, yet still holding his air of ethereal grace.

"Beautiful…" Ichigo murmured the one word he felt truly described this man. And he knew that saying it a million times would never be adequate, but he would try.

Grey eyes were watching, "You've always been beautiful to me, too."

The urgent need to get the Gotei captain naked right now felt more important than ever! Ichigo divested the man of every last stitch of clothing, except for their tabi socks and waraji.

A moment later Ichigo found himself on his back. Byakuya had him brusquely pinned down, a predatory look gleaming in his eye.

Tender lips joined in a heated frenzy and pent up lust. Byakuya ground himself against the vizard's hardness, eliciting a whiney moan from himself and the man beneath him. Ichigo's strong hands were on his rear, grabbing painful handfuls which pressed his erection into him even harder.

"Ahh…y-yeah, Ichigo," the noble breathed jaggedly.

Ichigo held onto Byakuya tightly, marvelling at how fucking amazing it felt to be flesh to flesh like this with the sexiest soul reaper in Soul Society. "Nnn! I  _love_  how you feel," Ichigo growled past swollen lips. He demanded urgently, "Take me Byakuya… _please_ , do it...do it before I lose my nerve. I want to feel you."

Byakuya pushed himself up, straddling Ichigo's waist, his full arousal resting across the other man's navel. He studied the younger man carefully, blinking behind a scattered curtain of hair in front of his eyes.

"Please," Ichigo urged again, reaching over to the bag they'd brought and dug around in it. A moment later he thrust something at Byakuya.

The captain completely understood now why Ichigo had looked ready to vomit when he came out of that store. How charming. How  _very_  devious. Ichigo was sanctioning him to fuck him. Byakuya got the message; he didn't need to be told twice. Just like Ichigo, he might have never partaken in male affairs, but he had an idea how it was supposed to work. And there was nothing he wanted more right now than to bury himself as deep into Ichigo as he could, his cock twitched excitedly with the thought.

Wetting his fingers, he sidled up beside the redhead, his length pressed against Ichigo's hip as they lay side by side on the grass and their discarded clothing. He searched for the vizard's lips with his own as his fingers searched for that tight opening. His fingers brushed over Ichigo's erection, stopping to caress the hard flesh with his hand before it went lower. Ichigo bucked against him as one finger dipped into the hot well of his body. Byakuya explored, moving his finger this way and that, pressing his finger towards them in a come-hither motion.

Ichigo suddenly cried out passionately.

 _That_  nearly caused Byakuya to lose himself. Watching Ichigo in the throes of ecstasy was the sweetest gift of all. He tortured the man with pleasure until he was nearly begging him to fuck him. Oh hell, he couldn't wait any longer! He used the much grateful lubrication on himself, stroking his erection to warm the fluid. Ichigo's eyes were on him the entire time. Crawling over top, he nudged Ichigo's legs apart with his knees and guided himself in gently.

So tight! Byakuya gasped.

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut. He felt a mixed surge of pain and pleasure rush throughout him. Gritting his teeth, he clung onto the noble so fiercely it was like he was drowning.

"Relax," Byakuya whispered, "Shall I stop?"

"No…"

"Then relax, Ichigo. You feel  _so_  good," Byakuya assured ardently. He heard Ichigo try to breathe slower, felt him release his nervous hold on him a little. Byakuya began to move his hips and closed his eyes in delicious ecstasy. So good,  _mmm..._ yes. Gliding gently, he moved in and out of Ichigo's perfectly tight body.

Byakuya was nearly purring like a big cat.

Ichigo focused on the pleasurable sounds the noble made and the pain began to subside slowly. Each stroke drove him closer and closer to madness, wonderful madness! Soon he was unable to hold back his own moans of pleasure, lips parted helplessly. He concentrated on Byakuya's determined face, his brow deeply furrowed. Ichigo let his hands roam again. He filled them with Byakuya's undulating rear. Searing waves of white heat coursed through him, each thrust made him hiss and pant and dig his fingernails into the firm flesh in his grasp. He spread his legs wider and eventually drove his own hips up to meet Byakuya's strokes, driving the other man even deeper inside.

Panting steadily, Byakuya began to lose all control of his willpower to take it slow and increased his rhythm, driving into Ichigo with primal demand. The vizard mewled and whined, tossing his head back as if gasping for much needed oxygen. Byakuya propped himself up, hands planted on either side of Ichigo's chest for better leverage and banged even harder into the man under him.

"Un! Byakuya!"

"Oh fuck!" Byakuya cussed, devoid of proper etiquette. He grunted with every thrust.

Face scrunched up with divine torment, Ichigo released strangled cries, his hands gripped onto Byakuya's biceps. He could feel the onslaught of orgasm tearing through his body.

Driving his final thrusts, panting with physical effort and joy, Byakuya watched as Ichigo came. The vizard squeezed his eyes shut, lips parted as he whimpered and shuddered beneath him, sending ribbons of pearly fluid across his own stomach. What a stunning sight. It simply drove Byakuya over the edge.

The noble gave one last hard stab and charged the serene night with his own climatic cry.

When Byakuya opened his eyes the world was nearly back to normal. He slipped himself out and stayed just how he was, propped over top of Ichigo waiting for him to look up at him. And he did. The expression on Ichigo's face was that of mild shock and total awe. Slowly, the vizard's hand came to brush damp hair from his face lovingly as he caught his breath and just watched him carefully. The hand moved lower and Ichigo swept his thumb delicately across his parched lips, over the top first and then across the bottom. For Byakuya, these touches meant everything after what they'd just done.

"Ichigo..." he murmured.

Ichigo had no words to say yet, all he could do was touch. He was revelling in what this man just made him feel and wrapped his arms around the spent captain, drawing him down for a sweet, sticky embrace. The noble didn't resist and Ichigo was thankful, he couldn't help but harbour a shred of fear just like he had the night they first kissed in his bedroom. Briefly, he worried again that Byakuya would come to his senses and become utterly disgusted with him. But something told him he was being ridiculous. Right now he felt the furthest thing from disgust, he felt fucking amazing!

Kon could kiss his…

"I don't know about you, but I'm famished," the noble muttered next to his ear.

Ichigo laughed loudly.

"Well, I have the perfect thing," he alleged and urged Byakuya up, "But I think we should get dressed first—find those head thingies of yours before we step on them."

"Agreed," was the solitary reply.

They got dressed in their respective uniforms quietly studying each other.

Suddenly Byakuya frowned, eyes steadied on Ichigo's collarbone, "You're not wearing the charm I gave you. Why?"

Shit! Why did Byakuya have to notice that  _right_  now? He didn't notice for the last couple of days, but he does so at this instant. Ichigo forced himself to play his best poker face. It was a matter of protecting the man he'd just given his virginity to! He sighed and answered, "I misplaced it…it's probably at home somewhere in my room. I'm sure it's safe." It wasn't a total lie, was it? Ok…it was a big lie.

The noble's face hardened and Ichigo felt like a shit for causing that after such an amazing thing they just shared. "I'm sorry," he said and meant it. "Please, don't be upset…not tonight."

Grey eyes softened a little, "You're so careless. Just don't do anything stupid, and don't depart from my sight."

"I think I can handle that. Now look what I brought you," Ichigo said, quickly changing the subject back to happier things. He handed Byakuya the bag from the store.

The noble dug out the bento boxes, the drinks and then a banana. He settled nonplused eyes on Ichigo while holding the fruit. "Is this is your attempt to tease me further? I really don't see the big deal," he said apathetically.

Ichigo was already howling with laughter with the look on Byakuya's face.

Coolly, Byakuya handed Ichigo the other banana, "Eat up, Ichigo. You're going to need it for round two."

The laughter died and Ichigo blinked at Byakuya stupefied, "Round two?"

Byakuya smiled coyly.

* * *

For the last few days Ukitake Jushiro and Shunsui Kyoraku spent most of their time indoors, sat at a table under the beam of a dreary desk lamp. They were inside the Archives building searching through mountains of documents and compilations of records. Their searching brought nothing but a sore stiff butt.

"Meh, I'm tired of looking through all this stuff," complained Shunsui, his head bare of his sakkat and his eyes lazy from sake consumption. He leaned back in his chair and slumped dejectedly, rubbing a hand over his stubbly chin, "I'm not sure this is fair. While Byakuya-kun is off gallivanting around in the human world, we're stuck in this depressing place collecting dust like all these books."

Jushiro was a lot more patient than his long time friend Shunsui, but even he sighed hopelessly at this point. "Indeed, the outlook of finding something useful here seems discouraging. We only collected a few names of shinigami's that went to the living world and became deserters. There is no record of Zero's signature listed anywhere, if only we had his real name. Maybe we need to search farther back."

"What do you think those two are up to anyways?" the Captain of the Eighth wondered, ignoring the topic at hand.

Ukitake's soft brown eyes looked up from a fat registry book he was studying, "I couldn't be sure."

Shunsui chuckled and joked, "Probably slappin' each other around."

Amused, Ukitake chuckled softly which became a mild cough. He caught his breath and replied, "I don't think they'd behave that childishly. Byakuya-kun has long since grown from that short fuse of his."

"I suppose you're right, Jushiro...but it still amazes me that our high and mighty lil' Captain of the Sixth has taken it upon himself to provide the young Kurosaki with his exclusive protection. Am I the only one that senses something risqué?" Shunsui finally admitted jovially. Half of his day was spent daydreaming about risqué stuff, he felt somewhat a master of these things.

"Risqué _?_ " repeated Ukitake, "If by that you mean…"

A victorious smirk appeared on Kyoraku's face as a red streak blossomed on the crests of his best friend's cheeks, he gave a deep hearty laugh.

"Ha ha! Now you see where I'm going with this, Jushiro-chan."

The white-haired shinigami blinked, his face mildly surprised. He advised, "I think that is their business not ours, Shunsui. We really should be working on finding something more about their adversary." Suddenly, Ukitake had a thought with all this indecent dialogue, "What if there are hidden records…maybe Zero was caught up in a scandal with Soul Society, do you think? Perhaps we need to dig deeper."

Shunsui sighed. "Alright, alright…then that means we need to visit the twelfth division. That guy can get us into encrypted records…let's get out of this dump," he claimed with relief and plunked his sakkat back on his head.

* * *

Kyoraku and Ukitake entered the twelfth division pavilion and headed for Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's office which was more of a laboratory. The large, dark room was filled with the latest gadgetry belonging to Soul Society. Mysterious devices flashed and beeped and hummed. Gurgling noises came from random directions and so did cables of every variety and colour underfoot.

Mayuri was seated at his large terminal with his pretty, yet melancholic-looking daughter Nemu standing behind him.

She said without expression in her green eyes or her voice, "Kurotsuchi-taicho, we have visitors. Kyoraku-taicho and Ukitake-taicho are here."

The pharaoh-like captain swivelled around in his chair, his made-up face and yellow eyes glowing with a blue tinge from the screen. He said with mocking innocence, "I wondered how long it would take before you decided to come here." Blindly, he reached over, his eyes never leaving the captains and pressed a single button with one long finger.

On the screen blinked open an image of a blonde-haired man with distinctive eyes, one blue and one red. It appeared to be a profile.

Shunsui and Jushiro looked on surprised.

"Is that…?"

"His name: Arashi Akahoshi, born a human one hundred and three years ago in Osaka, Japan. He was a former lieutenant among the ranks of the Tokugawa Shogunate…a military man. Real world records claimed him to be a 'killing machine' with the highest number of enemy deaths. Once I was able to analyze the spirit signature we captured, I divided it into three parts...Human, Hollow and Shinigami."

"How long have you known this information?" Shunsui asked dryly

"That's of no importance," claimed the scientist.

Ukitake sighed, "And when were you going to share it with us?"

"Oh dear, oh dear…you see, this matter holds no interest for me. Clearly the information will not help you in your search, and I don't care what the outcome is."

"Just tell us what you know then," the Captain of the Eighth requested, there was no point arguing with Kurotsuchi- _taicho_.

"Nemu—explain," ordered Mayuri.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," she said and began to speak in monotone. "After breaking down the three parts we were able to track down the owner of the human soul to Akahoshi. We then found a trace of the shinigami that transferred his powers into this man, although what his relationship was with him and why he transferred his power remains unknown. Although…"

The Captain of the Twelfth tapped at his terminal and a new image of a medium-height man, with a bush of black hair and blue eyes appeared. He was a very handsome young shinigami.

"A fifth seat, now deceased, once belonged to the Fifth Division, Daiki Horiuchi. He was sent on a mission in the Osaka region at the same time Akahoshi was stationed there. The transfer of shinigami powers was done exactly twenty-one days after. Hidden deep under encrypted records we found an order that Horiuchi was to terminate Akahoshi, otherwise the execution order placed on Horiuchi for fraternizing with a human would be upheld if Horiuchi failed. Our information shows that Horiuchi fled to the living world to carry out his order, and that was when his powers were given to Akahoshi. There appeared to be a battle, a medical prognosis shows Horiuchi was injured when he returned to Soul Society. An order of execution was placed on Horiuchi for failing, but he escaped Soul Society and disappeared. However, we know that Akahoshi could not have entirely died. Instead he survived encroachment, which suggests his chain of fate was severed when he'd momentarily lost his shinigami power, became human again and Horiuchi didn't finish the job. As well, there was a top-secret order given to a group of shinigami to hunt down Akahoshi and Horiuchi. But they never found either one of them. The record shows that that fifth seat shinigami died in the human world about forty years after the incident."

"That's some story," Shunsui murmured, "Did Akahoshi kill the shinigami?"

"I wonder what possessed him to break the law and give Akahoshi his power?" wondered Ukitake.

"We may never know the answer to that," Nemu answered evenly.

"The only interesting fact about this trivial nonsense is that this enemy is built almost exactly like Kurosaki Ichigo," Mayuri muttered, "Almost, but there is one significant difference—I shall not bore you with details. I would estimate that this, Zero—as he so wishes to call himself now, is Espada level according to his Hollow signature, definitely stronger than a captain, but I would not label him as such. Hmm, what do you think we should name this new sub-species, Nemu?"

"Err…I do not know."

"You useless idiot!" cried Nemu's father impatiently, but resumed his portentous naming, "I know…I shall call them, Soul Eaters."

"But there is only one that we know of," Shunsui reminded Mayuri, "I certainly hope there aren't others."

The strange scientist narrowed his eyes, disliking having his thunder stolen from him and swivelled his chair towards his terminal again. "If you are done here then I would like to get back to my work."

"One more thing," Ukitake claimed urgently, "Where is Zero now?"

Kurotsuchi didn't turn around as his fingers flew over buttons, eyes on his work. "His ability to conceal his spiritual energy is probably greater than yours or mine. I believe he has been able to crossover from Hueco Mundo and the real world, devouring souls for regeneration and growth. And it's just a theory, but he might spend his time residing in other inner worlds, which makes it nearly impossible to locate him." He thought of the enchanted charm Ichigo was wearing. "I believe we will be notified when Zero returns. Nemu show our guests out."

"Yes, Mayuri-sama."


	13. Eightball

A few days later, Rukia and Renji came to the real world to give a report to Ichigo and Byakuya of their discoveries from Captain Ukitake. They flew across the buildings and rooftops in Karakura Town, closing in on a familiar pair of spirit pressures they were tracking via Soul Phone. Atop of the university gymnasium rooftop they stopped when they spotted Ichigo, Byakuya, Ishida and Chad sitting at a picnic bench half a football field away. They were on the picturesque grounds of the school, shaded under the long tails of a weeping willow. The sun shone warmly, the grass lush and green with the fresh scent of late spring in the air. Nearby, Senbonzakura was sprawled out in the grass contently lying on his back, one leg propped over one bent knee and one hand under his head. In his free, gloveless hand he held a dandelion puff and swished it around sending the bracts sailing on the lazy afternoon breeze.

Not only was Senbonzakura evident but so was Zangetsu.

The tall dark figure was standing under the willow tree, one booted foot propped against the trunk and his hands resting leisurely in his pockets watching Senbonzakura. Chad and Ishida were just getting up and waving goodbye, apparently heading off to respective classes, and leaving the two soul reapers alone at the bench with their zanpakuto's.

Renji and Rukia took a moment to observe all this, glancing at each other peculiarly, and then back down below. Ichigo and Byakuya were sitting beside each other, facing the pair of shinigami on the rooftop. They appeared as peaceful and serene as their zanpakuto did. Ichigo was studying from an open text book on the table and Byakuya sipping from a juice box evidently watching Ichigo. Rukia found it hard to keep her eyes off her brother who was wearing dark jeans, black and white runners and a light blue, long-sleeved button-up shirt. He seemed so ordinary and young dressed like that…appearing nothing like the man she knew from Soul Society. Of course Ichigo looked normal in light jeans and a white t-shirt with some red logo she couldn't read from here. It was so warm, neither Ichigo nor her brother had their jackets on.

"Well, at least they're not squabbling," Renji commented as he watched his captain and friend.

"Why should they do that?" Rukia muttered and scanned the scene down below. "Is that really Zangetsu under that tree?"

"He must be enjoying the weather, too," Renji theorized just as his captain leaned in and began kissing tenderly along Ichigo's ear. Huh...? His orange-haired friend closed his eyes and smiled, and then turned his face to meet Byakuya's lips.

_Oi!_

Renji gawked and grabbed Rukia back, one hand clamped firmly over her eyes.

"Hey! What are you doing? Let me go, Renji!" she demanded angrily, irritated about being hauled back in like yo-yo and blinded.

"Shhh!" Renji quickly urged and ducked low behind the ledge of the flat, pebbly rooftop, yanking Rukia down with him. He removed his hand.

The Kuchiki noblewoman looked cross, "Renji, this is not the time for games!"

The redhead's face had turned as scarlet as his hair. "Maybe we should just wait a few minutes…err, let's just sit here and enjoy the s-sunshine, too. Hmm?" the vice-captain part squeaked and spluttered.

Rukia appeared even more annoyed now, "What is wrong with you? We have to go report our findings to Nii-sama and Ichigo. They need to know, Renji. We don't have time for this now, we can enjoy the sun later," she explained and noticed his face. "Why are you blushing?" She was about to blush too, thinking somehow she was causing Renji's strange behaviour. She started to get up. She looked over the edge of the building and down at her brother and Ichigo.

Blink…

Blink…

She sank back down beside Renji almost puddle-like without any struggle this time. "Err…Renji?"

"Yeah..?"

"Did…I just see what I think I just saw?"

"I think so."

"Oh…"

Then Rukia suddenly exploded, "What the hell are they doing? They can't be kissing! I mean that's  _nii-sama_  and  _Ichigo!_  That's my..." She peeked over the ledge once more, ready to fly down there and knock their heads together! Ready to give Ichigo an ass-whopping he'd never forget. How  _dare_  he touch her brother that way! That guy had no respect for people of status, none whatsoever!

But a hand held her in place by her white sash. Renji was peeking over the edge now, too. He was looking on, his face completely incredulous, "Wait, Rukia…maybe you should just look."

She nearly growled perturbed, but she forced herself to 'just look'. As fast as her fury had taken over her it was replaced by something much more complex a moment later. Down below Ichigo and her brother were not kissing any longer, but talking and actually goofing off. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but their actions gave away the gist of it. Ichigo asked for a sip from the juice box to which Byakuya offered only to realize Ichigo had drunk it all upon return. He frowned and set the empty container on the table top, and then did something under the table that made Ichigo yelp and laugh uncontrollably. It could be said that Byakuya had a smug look on his face. When Ichigo stopped laughing, he leaned over and said something to Byakuya. Before Rukia's very own eyes she saw her brother laughing. She couldn't hear the laughter but she could see the amusement on his face.

"That's my…that's my. Nii-sama…" she murmured at the spectacle.

"I feel like I just witnessed something illegal," Renji spoke softly next to her.

But Rukia didn't answer. She felt the same way now, no longer feeling as though she had to rush down there and beat sense into them. She wasn't exactly sure what to feel. Who was she to lay down judgment when her brother was smiling and laughing? It was all she ever wished for…to see Byakuya happy once again and to stop feeling miserable over her sister's death. Who thought the day would ever come? And who thought it would be because of Ichigo? She was flabbergasted! The idea of her brother being with Ichigo was something that had never crossed her mind, not in a million years. The very suggestion of that was extraordinary…she'd never asked herself how she felt about men being together, but seeing her brother like this now made it clear that she had no right to judge. If Ichigo made him happy like that then she knew she couldn't interfere.

"Don't laugh at them, Renji," Rukia warned dangerously just then.

Renji looked taken-aback, "I…I wasn't, Rukia. Why would I do that?"

"I dunno…I'm just telling you. Nii-sama deserves to be happy, and I don't want  _anyone_  to ruin that for him."

"Hey, I don't care if they're diggin' each other. I'm just surprised...slightly traumatized, but I'll get over it," Renji claimed quietly, staggered by Rukia's sudden change of heart. "It's not every day you see something like this—especially with hardheads like those two. Who would have thought?"

Rukia made a soft noise of astonishment. "Nii-sama and Ichigo…" she said whimsically trying the sound of that over her tongue, "Here I was worrying that nii-sama was probably the most miserable man alive stuck with Ichigo in the real world."

"Apparently not," Renji quipped and snickered. "Oh, hey…it looks cool now. Let's get down there before they  _you know,_  again."

Rukia nodded and they jumped off the ledge, flash-stepping over to the picnic table.

"Hey Taicho! Ichigo," Renji stated pleasantly, and found himself trying hard to ward off a blush that he didn't expect to will its way to his face.  _Damn!_  Pretending he saw nothing was a lot harder than it seemed. He whistled and pretended to be interested in watching Senbonzakura who was still lounging on the grass. He blinked. Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia's elegant and beautiful zanpakuto was knelt next to him now trying her hand at blowing at dandelion puffs. Then Renji frowned when he noticed Saru and Hebi, Zabimaru, his manifested zanpakuto that came in the form of a tall, busty, green fur-covered chick with long rose coloured hair and a small snake-like boy dressed in priestly white robes with short, bright red hair. Both of them were chained together willingly. They were in the process of launching a full scale attack on Senbonzakura, creeping up behind his head in the grass with a handful of puffs which they blew in unison at him. The samurai and Rukia's sword soul got doused with fuzzy little seeds.

Byakuya looked away from the juvenile zanpakuto and had clearly stiffened, putting on a complacent face, "Rukia...Renji."

Rukia felt immediately disappointed that her brother was driven to hide what she just saw on his face a moment ago. And this time she was the one that found it hard to look her brother in the eye. "Nii-sama, Ichigo," she said cautiously, glancing off to the side.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Ichigo's face brightened, but it was short-lived. It was as if he just realized something, which he had, and cast Byakuya an unsure glance. His cheeks turned pinker than they already were.

The apprehensive moment was interrupted with a loud, but muffled sneeze from Senbonzakura.

"Ewww!" Hebi exclaimed dramatically, "I bet you wish you weren't wearing that mask now!"

"That's why I have a spare."

Ichigo wasn't really paying attention to the zanpakuto's and continued, "Um…Byakuya and I were just hanging out. I have a break right now. You just missed Chad and Ishida—they asked about you. We were all going to go out later, you guys should come along."

"Oh?" Rukia looked on surprised, "First we have to—"

"We're in!" Renji blasted before Rukia could refuse or ignore the comment. It wasn't everyday he found out his captain played on the other side of the fence  _and_  was doing interesting human things with Ichigo in the world of the living. He wouldn't miss  _that_  for anything! But err… "Where were you all going?" he asked as an afterthought, casting Rukia an 'I'm sorry' kind of face.

Rukia frowned and nudged Renji's leg under the table with her foot for his lack of discretion. There was a much better way to accept the invitation than acting like an eager dog with a wagging tail.

Ichigo replied, "We were going to play pool and have a few drinks, nothing special really. Just keep me away from the sake, though." He learned his lesson quickly.

Renji said goofily, "Hey, don't blame it on the sake, Ichigo. Just because you're a featherweight..."

Byakuya scoffed.

Ichigo looked indignant.

"Actually, Ukitake-taicho told us he would like for us to stay awhile and keep an eye on you two." At those words, Rukia felt her own blush rise to her face and she looked away, "For back-up of course."

They all sat across from each other completely silent for a few tentative moments.

"I see. Well, if that was his order then it's not to simply sit here and discuss this evening's plans. What information did you bring us?" Byakuya spoke coolly.

"We have an update on that Zero guy," Renji started, "Ukitake-taicho and Kyoraku-taicho, discovered something at the twelfth division so they sent us here to report to you."

"The information is delicate. They didn't want to explain over the hand-held and decided the more manpower you have the better," Rukia clarified and began to tell the tale of Daiki Horiuchi and Arashi Akahoshi a.k.a. Zero.

Ichigo's eyebrows rose and Byakuya's face hardened as they listened.

"Arashi Akahoshi, huh…?" Ichigo closed his text book.

"Hrmph, what a suitable name," Byakuya muttered derisively. 'Arashi' meant 'storm', but he wondered how the rest of his name related to the monster, 'Aka' stood for 'red' and 'Hoshi' stood for 'star'.

"That's a lot of information, but it doesn't really help in defeating him," Ichigo mentioned, noting the tension on Byakuya's face. He was automatically about to reach to him but… _ack!_  Rukia and Renji were here! He wasn't sure how Byakuya felt about their situation regarding his sister or Renji. They never discussed that aspect yet. Instead, he put his text book into his backpack and thought out loud, "I wonder what caused that Daiki guy to give Zero powers and then to take it away only to have him turn into a Hollow."

"He was ordered to kill Zero," Renji reminded Ichigo.

"Yeah, before he gave him powers, I know. But what I mean is…how he could just leave Zero there to become a Hollow?" Ichigo charged, that sounded cruel. "Why he didn't finish the job? Why didn't he just slay him when he had the chance? Why leave him there and let another group of shinigami to go after him?" the human wondered bewildered.

"I don't know, Ichigo," Rukia said watchfully, "He must have had a reason and he died for his mistake eventually by the hand of his own creation."

Ichigo exhaled loudly, frustrated.

"Do not underestimate this opponent Renji, Rukia," Byakuya warned.

"I'm so sick of this guy!" Ichigo cried angrily, "It's been over two weeks since we fought him! How long is this going to take? I feel like just when I start for forget about him, he's going to strike!" And ruin everything that has become precious to him. What if he couldn't defeat this guy? What would that do to Byakuya? Why was he allowed all this happiness with such a heavy burden always on his shoulders?  _Argh!_  Ichigo tried not to think about all that kind of stuff, but talking about Zero made that nearly impossible. It was becoming kind of nerve-wracking.

Byakuya, Renji and Rukia's eyes darted over at Ichigo as he stood up hastily from the picnic bench.

For an instant Byakuya wore a look of concern. "Where are you going?" he asked Ichigo.

"To my last class a few minutes early," Ichigo grumbled. Then his face softened a touch, his eyes warmed as he looked at his noble lover, "I'm sorry for freaking out, Byakuya…guys, thanks for being here for me. I…I just want this to be done with, and I want to stop Zero from killing anymore people!"

Rukia watched Ichigo stalk off and then turned to look at her brother who was still watching Ichigo. He seemed so anxious. Without thinking, Rukia reached out and took her brother's hands in hers warmly. "We're here for you, Nii-sama," she told him sincerely looking directly at him this time, eyes unwavering, "And Ichigo..."

Byakuya flashed astonished steely grey eyes at Rukia. She had an odd aura surrounding her when she first appeared here just moments ago. Just after he'd kissed Ichigo when he thought they were alone, it was written all over her face. He would know, he knew all about avoiding eye contact. Had she witnessed that kiss? Common sense said she saw something because her words spoke volumes to him now, and he knew that she meant more than what needed to be said. Byakuya would have blushed at her revelation, but inside he was too pleased overall to discover that she'd become his ally in the matter, his sister. It meant more to him than she could possibly ever know.

Brother and sister sat there with hands clasped. Meanwhile in the background Senbonzakura was roaring with frustration at Zabimaru who had instigated him somehow into chasing them, his sword in shikai. Saru and Hebi dodged menacing petal-blades gleefully. Sode no Shirayuki was giggling at the spectacle.

It was all very touching, Renji thought and sweat-dropped. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

The two Kuchiki siblings drew their hands back swiftly and looked away embarrassed at their unusual display of affection.

"So, Taicho. What kind of trouble have you and Ichigo been getting into lately, eh?" Renji started off flippantly, trying to change the atmosphere and instantly got kicked under the table by Rukia. _Fail!_

* * *

 

Later on after a quick patrol around Karakura Town, Ichigo was waiting for Byakuya downstairs with Rukia and Renji. They were all going to meet with friends at the bar they talked about earlier that day.

Byakuya was still in his shinigami form as he found a clean shirt to wear out tonight that was hanging in the closet. He tossed the shirt on the bed and was about to enter his gigai to get changed when Kon ambled into the room. Byakuya hadn't realized the door had been left open a crack—Kon stopped in his plushie tracks, one hand on his plushie hip and the other twirling a new bauble that hung from his neck. It was the protection talisman.

"You forgot to lock the door," he sneered at the captain. "Don't think you can lock me out forever!"

Byakuya sighed, not paying Kon any mind, "I have no time for your nonsense right now."

"You think I'm stupid because I reside inside this vessel of fluff appearing all cuddly and soft and  _kawaii,_ " Kon dramatized loudly, huggling himself. "I'm a person dammit! When I press my ear up against this door at night... _whoa!_  I didn't know Ichigo knew words like that! I get it now. What WOULD your sister say? Why, not so long ago Ichigo tried to deny that he was g—"

A large imposing shadow loomed over him. Kon gulped and looked up,  _way_  up.

"I have been ordered to eradicate you," charged Senbonzakura darkly. He brought his sword to his face with a metal zing and...

Kon screamed and ran under the zanpakuto's legs and clung onto the next leg in his vicinity.

Byakuya cast phlegmatic grey eyes on the modified stuffed animal attached to his ankle.

"PLEASE! Mercy! I don't care what you do to Ichigo. You can make him try on girl's underwear for all I care! Spare me! We just got off on the wrong foot...you may not have boobies but I can deal with that. Nee-san is tiny, too! Can I call you Nii-san, or is it sama? We'll be best of buds!"

"I will call off Senbonzakura on one condition," started Byakuya, "Be silent otherwise it's your funeral."

"I can..." Kon immediately shut up and nodded up and down exuberantly.

"Excellent," the noble said and shook Kon off of his leg.

Kon exhaled in relief and chuckled, landing on his soft tush. And just when he thought the coast was clear, he was picked up by his ear. He started to complain but then remembered the funeral, he merely whimpered.

"Master, have you seen this?" voiced the zanpakuto.

"Senbonzakura, everyone is waiting for me. There is fashionably late and then there is just ignorance. I believe I'm pushing the limit," complained Byakuya, "I have seen enough of that creature tonight if you don't mind."

A squirming Kon was thrust into Byakuya's face.

"Look at it," demanded Senbonzakura urgently.

Byakuya was about to reprimand Senbonzakura about addressing him in such a rude fashion. But just as he opened his mouth he noticed something, a delicate eyebrow was arched. Byakuya snatched the plushie from the samurai's hands and stared at the protection talisman he'd given Ichigo around Kon's annoying little neck!

"Where did you get this?" Byakuya demanded, flicking the silver charm with his finger.

Kon began signalling towards the bed with his hands, mouthing something in silence and then crossed his arms angrily. He turned his head the other way.

The noble was close to losing his patience. He wore a deadpanned look and muttered through clenched teeth, "You may speak."

"I found it under Ichigo's mattress!" Kon wailed.

"What was it doing under the mattress?" the captain ordered.

"And why were you looking there in the first place?" asked Senbonzakura.

"Don't you guys know that interesting things can be found under a guy's mattress?" Kon said in disbelief. "Hell do I know why this necklace was under there!"

"Explain these interesting things," the zanpakuto urged.

" _Senbonzakura,_ " Byakuya groaned in a way that told the zanpakuto to drop it. 'Interesting things' could be hidden under futons, too.

The noble removed the protection talisman from Kon's neck and dropped the plushie to the bed. The charm dangled from his finger as he stared at it. What was it doing there? How did Ichigo misplace the talisman under his mattress?

It dawned on him like the black veil of night. Ichigo had hidden it there on purpose!

He was about to go corner Ichigo and demand what the hell he was thinking when Renji hollered up the stairs for him to hurry up. Shit! Byakuya slipped the charm into the inside pocket of his haori. Not really in the mood to go anywhere now, he reluctantly entered his gigai and got dressed quickly.

* * *

At the karaoke bar that catered mostly to university students close to the school, the Captain of the Sixth Division was kicking everyone's butt in billiards. After he'd been accused of being grumpy by Ichigo, which he was all thanks to the dishonest substitute, Byakuya found it easier to avoid Ichigo's questioning looks until he could get him alone when Ishida handed him a pool cue. He'd decided to take out his frustrations playing one of his favourite games, eight-ball. Surrounded by all these people he didn't have a chance to speak to Ichigo in private about the protection talisman. Besides, he wasn't about to make a scene in front of Ichigo's friends, and Ichigo was right where he could see him.

And a lot of Ichigo and Rukia's close friends was here, Chad, Ishida, and even Inoue came along. They took over the entire backend of the room where the pool table was situated, away from all the chattering, drinking customers and people singing on a small stage which was exactly on the other side of a wall that divided them. It was a small place, compact and dusky inside. The atmosphere was cozy and friendly with a small dance floor by the stage. No one bothered them as they sat on wooden barstools next to tall tables scattered around the pool table. Everyone was watching the current game in progress.

It was Renji verses Byakuya.

"Taicho, I didn't know you were so good at this game," Renji said to his captain with clear frustration on his face. He was losing miserably.

"One should not reveal all his secrets," the noble shinigami flatly advised, standing there in his crisp, midnight-blue shirt and black slacks. He leaned in under the soft light above the table to strike the eight ball into the right-side pocket with eerie precision. End game. He straightened and accepted his victory seemingly unfazed which only drove Renji up the wall.

Renji huffed.  _Show off!_

"Maybe he visits the real world and secretly takes part in world class billiard championships," Inoue offered, clad in a pink top and white pants.

Still sour from being beaten, too, and Ishida thought he was pretty damned skilled at this game, he snorted, "That's ridiculous!" Where did Byakuya learn to play?

Byakuya waited for the next opponent to test their skills on him, he'd beaten Chad, Ishida, Ichigo and now Renji. He bet they could sit here all night and they'd never figure out how he learned to play billiards.

Just then Rukia stood up from her seat in her cute yellow dress with a temerarious expression on her face. "Nii-sama, let's do this," she instigated firmly, "Renji." She thrust out her small hand and the spiky redhead gave her a snapping low-five. "No! Not  _that_  you moron! The pool cue!"

D'oh! Renji handed her the pool cue he was using and Byakuya cocked a fine eyebrow. "I see. Do you wish to challenge me, Rukia?" he inquired coolly.

Rukia wore a haughty air of smugness. "That's right, nii-sama. This charade has gone on long enough."

"Is that so?" he taunted.

Ichigo and Renji glanced at each other peculiarly. It sounded as if brother and sister have engaged in this hobby before.

"Then, I'll let you break, Rukia," Byakuya offered once he'd set the table for a new game, setting the triangle on a hook on the underside of the green-felt table.

The Kuchiki lady nodded and leaned over the table with confidence, holding her cue stick within secure hands. She struck the pool balls with deafening  _crack!_  She sunk two solids and a stripe. "Looks like I'm solids and you're not, nii-sama," her voice dripping with playful sarcasm.

Byakuya hated being stripes in a game of eight-ball. But that was fine, he was just happy to be playing with someone of skill. One corner of his mouth turned up with a smirk, who said the Shinigami Women's Association was good for nothing? Sure, he'd destroyed their swimming pool, but he didn't destroy the billiard table he discovered in their secret room in his manor. In fact, when they weren't occupying the space, he taught himself billiards. Only one day Rukia happened upon him doing this and well… the rest is history.

In mere minutes they managed to practically clear the table in only a few turns. Shot for shot each took them with fluid grace and a sharp eye. Everyone watched them in complete silence only moving to sip on a beer or a soda. It came down to the eight ball three inches from the solid purple four that was nestled at the bottom left pocket.

"It looks like I've set you up, nii-sama. You have to call your pocket or you lose," Rukia reminded her brother.

They understood the rules of the game all thanks to a book Rukia picked up in the real world years ago.

Byakuya scoffed with amusement. It was always delightful playing against Rukia; she never held back and usually created such challenges for him, the taunting was all part of the fun. Indeed, she had him completely cornered with this final play. If he called the wrong pocket and missed, he'd lose. But if he managed to sneak the eight by the four he'd win…though, he might sink both and still lose. The odds were against him. He called his shot.

With a gentle tap the eight ball snuck by the four. It tumbled into the pocket in which the four followed by a hair and teetered on the edge...

It dropped in, too.

"Oh!" everyone groaned.

"Ha! You did it!" Renji cheered in total astonishment his heart bursting with pride for his girl. He launched himself at Rukia and gave her a great big bear hug. "Wow! That was really cool, Rukia!"

This time Ichigo and Byakuya glanced at each other and then back to Renji and Rukia again. Ichigo smirked and sipped his beer.

"Stop it!" cried Rukia and swatted Renji off of her, but she wasn't really fighting that hard. Blushing, she cast her brother a bashful look.

Byakuya said nothing but he understood what he saw. He wasn't surprised at all. Actually, he wondered why the hell Renji had waited so long to pursue his sister. It wasn't like he didn't notice how his vice-captain always acted puppy-like around her all these years or how vehemently Rukia stood up for Renji. Suddenly, he realized something, a selfish thought. The very next thing that crossed Byakuya's mind was immeasurable relief over one sticky Kuchiki clan matter. He nearly gloated. Alright, inside he was totally gloating. He wouldn't have to listen to his elder's requests to remarry and create heirs anymore—Rukia and Renji could take care of that one day he was sure. The heirs might not have his blood exactly, but the clan would get the next best thing, and to him Rukia was a Kuchiki in every sense of the name. It was a matter worthy of triumph!

Everyone else was laughing at the fun and follies.

"Ok, who's next?" Ishida questioned.

Inoue waved her hand in exuberance, "Me!" she shouted.

" _Ichigo...?"_

The vizard's head snapped up.

" _Come on let's play our own little game. Just you and I…"_

Adrenaline began to burst through the human soul reaper. He shot Byakuya a hasty glance, but the noble was busy chalking up his cue for Inoue.

" _You don't want him to get hurt again, right? How about your friends? It could get messy. Come on this is your chance,"_ Zero spoke darkly inside of Ichigo's mind.

Ichigo stood up all of a sudden and Byakuya looked over sharply. He claimed he was going to the restrooms and disappeared down a hall. But instead of going to the washrooms, he rushed out the emergency exit and into a damp back ally. Droplets of water landed on his face and in his eyes. It was dark outside and raining.

"Where are you?" Ichigo shouted, running out to the front and scanning the sidewalk and street. His heart was crashing against his ribcage. There was no way he could bare to see anyone hurt by this guy again, especially not Byakuya. Even if the man might hate him for this, it was for his own good! This was his moment. He had to do this... _alone._

" _Over here…"_

Smashing through the puddles, Ichigo ran after the foreboding reiatsu.

* * *

Byakuya stood quietly to the side, watching his sister and the other girl with Ichigo's similar hair colouring begin to play their game. But he anxiously returned his gaze in the direction Ichigo had gone. Maybe he should follow him to the washroom. Just as he took a step towards the washrooms...

Zero spoke to him.

" _Why...hello there, Prince..."_

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. He said nothing, but he set down his glass and his blood ran cold.

" _Aww…what's the matter? Don't you like the sound of my voice?"_

Alarmed, Byakuya's eyes darted about the bar hoping to see Ichigo here somewhere. But he didn't, and he was sure he wouldn't find him here; it was obvious Zero had gotten to Ichigo first. Shit! Without vacillation he excused himself from the group and headed for the men's restroom that Ichigo said he had gone. He searched the place high and low in vain, he felt no reiatsu. Ichigo wasn't here.

" _Did you lose something?"_  Zero taunted.

"What did you do with him?" Byakuya demanded menacingly.

" _You let your guard down…tsk, tsk, tsk. What a shame that I have taken him from you,"_ murmured Zero, _"Do you think your name will be the last he speaks?"_

Streaks of rage and fear began to course through Byakuya veins. What was Zero saying? What had he done with Ichigo? Had Ichigo been taken right from under his nose? Byakuya wasn't stupid; he understood that Ichigo had taken off the charm in hopes that he wouldn't be lured into a fight with Zero, stubborn fool! And he was still carrying the damn talisman! Dammit! Was it already too late? The shinigami captain could not accept that and dug the modified soul pill from his pocket. He swallowed it, emerging in soul reaper form from his faux body.

" _Not a man to hesitate I see. That's good, prompt action keeps you alive on the battlefield! Do you really think you can save him? Do you think you're fast enough? You got lucky the first time. Don't think I don't know what he means to you…I understand more than you know,"_  Zero conferred and laughed uproariously.

Unable to think clearly, powered by his emotions, Byakuya rushed out of the establishment and into the steady rain. He roared, "I'm going to kill you!"

Zero mewled with mirth and divine amusement.  _"We'll see about that!"_

* * *

Many moments passed before someone realized that both Ichigo and Byakuya hadn't returned.

Chad asked Ishida, "What's taking them so long?"

The Quincy shrugged, "Who knows, maybe they went to get another drink."

But just as Ishida finished speaking an oddly familiar deep voice carried across the room from the other side of the bar. Everyone blinked and craned their head over at the karaoke stage in question.

There was Byakuya under the hot lights singing like a rock star! He was belting out  _Naked_  by Chachamaru!

Rukia's mouth dropped open like everyone else around her.

"Wow! He's really good!" exclaimed Inoue happily.

They watched the Gotei Captain strut his stuff and had everyone on the dance floor dancing and cheering him on.

"I…I had no idea he could move like that," Renji stammered, eyes the size of saucers.

When the singing Byakuya ripped opened his shirt and sent buttons flying during an instrumental, which subsequently caused a lot of female patrons to squeal, Rukia knew something was terribly amiss.

"That's not him!" she cried, tearing her eyes away from the absurd spectacle. Dread started to set in. She scanned the bar for Ichigo and her brother frantically tugging on Renji's arm, "Renji, something's wrong!"

Renji sensed it, too. There was just  _no_  way that guy on the karaoke stage, was his captain. Man…Urahara and his modified souls…

A second later Ichigo burst back into the bar. He stopped in his tracks to eye the man on stage wearily. There was sudden relief expressed on his face, but it was short-lived as it quickly turned into confusion and shock as he watched Byakuya singing and the front of his shirt open. What the _..._

Rukia was the first one to notice Ichigo from across the room. She hollered over to him and ran over. Everyone else dropped what they were doing and rushed over to him, too. He stood there soaked and dripping water all over the place.

"Ichigo! Where did you go? Where's nii-sama?" demanded Rukia over the noisy ruckus.

"Wait, isn't that him up there?" asked Ishida, pointing at the stage.

"No!" Rukia exclaimed urgently, "That's a mod soul in his gigai!"

Ichigo's face instantly fell. Pain flashed across his eyes, he buried his face in his hands with clear frustration, and then raked his fingers through his wet hair viciously.  _How_  could he have been so stupid? This was Zero's goal all along! He wanted to get rid of Byakuya first! And Zero picked the perfect opportunity to split them up. And now he was too late! Ichigo let his own weakness get the better of him and was played like a fool!

"Byakuya has gone after the enemy because he thinks Zero has me," Ichigo said solemnly, forcing the words from his mouth.

Rukia scowled, "This is bad, Ichigo. We have to find him,  _now!_ "

" _SHIT! NO!"_  Ichigo raged so loudly that everyone in the bar stood still, even Byakuya's singing mod soul. Ichigo raced back outside, his heart thudding wildly, he didn't want to think of what could or what  _was_  happening to Byakuya. He couldn't! All he sought for now was letting his savage Hollow take over, finding Zero and  _tearing his fucking heart out!_  And he was about to do just that when...

Ichigo blinked, he was standing in a forest full of cherry trees.

Ishida tossed some money on the bar and they ran outside after Ichigo.

There on the wet sidewalk lay Ichigo's human body facedown, limp and sprawled over the pavement like he'd passed out.

"He's already gone," Rukia stated just as her hand-held device began to beep. She answered, "Ukitake-taicho!" She listened carefully for a minute and quickly hung up a moment later, but she didn't close the phone. She was studying the tracking system on the small screen. "They've managed to pick up Zero's last location…the signal keeps showing up and disappearing all over Karakura Town, but it's stationary right now, we have a place to start. They are sending reinforcements. Let's go!"

Chad picked up Ichigo's body and tossed it over his shoulder, a few people on the street were watching them all oddly. "Too much sake," he told them.

It seemed to pacify the onlookers.


	14. Red Black and White

The rain fell from the black sky as Zero stood waiting on a large football field with a running track encircling it, located at Ichigo's university in his black fedora and stylish black outfit. Crossed on his back, under his long blonde braid was his pair of zanpakuto sheathed in black scabbards. Only two stadium light posts vaguely lit up the wide empty space, and were kept on at each end for campus security reasons. The effect it created was ominous and uninviting, especially with the misty rainfall. It formed the perfect battlefield in Zero's mind, and it would settle as that stuck-up prince's graveyard. He was the one thing keeping him from achieving his goal—killing Kurosaki Ichigo and claiming his rightful title. It probably wouldn't even take him long to kill the shinigami...although, he really would like to make him suffer for hacking off his arm.

The tall man in black flexed his fingers on his regenerated left arm. It took many souls and way too much time in hell to regain his full power again. Time wasted. Seriously! Who did they think they were?

Someone appeared in the middle of the partially lit field like a ghost. Zero looked closely a few yards away and saw it was indeed Ichigo's prince. All it took was a simple threat, a ridiculous bluff to coax him here. He scoffed. Somehow this man appeared different this time around. He noted his black and white haori, some kind of head piece in his drenched black hair. He seemed more superior—higher in rank than last time.

" _Master! Turn back now! I can't stop him from entering our inner world!"_  Senbonzakura urged inside of Byakuya's mind,  _"You know we cannot fight him alone!"_

Byakuya was too stubborn to listen.

"It amazes me…" Zero started drearily, "…how a person's heart can take over their mind. That common sense is simply relieved of them over love. Gawd! It's such a waste of time!"

The noble stood there a dark shadow as the rain streaked down his face, watching the enemy solemnly. He held his sword out at his side and tried to sense Ichigo's spirit pressure which was nowhere to be found. And he knew. He swallowed that jagged, bitter pill and knew that he'd walked straight into a trap. This time he did not listen to his instinct at all,  _could not_ , when he thought that Zero had done something terrible to Ichigo or in fact has already done so. It was so pathetic that Byakuya couldn't even bother to feel angry anymore, he'd been deluded and probably so had Ichigo. Was this Zero's goal in the first place, to draw him away from Ichigo all in order to be rid of him first? Or had it worked the other way around? Had he lost a second person he fallen for?

The noble was at an uncertain loss.

Zero sneered and reached out his arm, clenching his leather-gloved fist, twisting it, as if he were bending steel.

The Kuchiki heir cringed as pain shot out from in his middle and clawed its way to his head and to his feet like knives. He was brought helplessly to his knees, onto the spongy wet grass. Zero was merciless. His resolute moment of weakness and anger was going to be his undoing. There was no way out of it, Zero would rage inside his inner world and crush him from the inside out. Byakuya could emit his own pressure in hopes of leaving a trail for others to find, but he wasn't sure he wanted to lure them here to be slaughtered by this monster and there probably wasn't enough time.

Byakuya did not fear death. There had been many times he actually wished for it. And right now, in the face of death he felt a strange satisfaction as if the pain cleared his mind, and he understood what that satisfaction was. Ignoring the pain, Byakuya spoke with pride heavily on his voice, "You are mistaken. A waste of time would be living eternally without ever once feeling love, no matter how briefly we got to take pleasure in it…even if that love  _kills_  us, Akahoshi Arashi."

Zero growled and he shook his fist. "Argh! Don't you dare say that name! That man is  _dead!_ "

The noble could feel his insides tearing. He felt a trickle race down his upper lip from his nose and could taste the metallic tang of his own blood on his lips. Byakuya knew he'd hit a nerve, if he was going to die tonight it wouldn't be without a fight in one form or another. He had another stone to cast. "Daiki Horiuchi loved you. Am I wrong? That is why he couldn't finish you off, and left you to become a Hollow."

The man appeared in a flash right in front of Byakuya. Zero grabbed him by his kosode and scarf, hauling him up to his feet.

"Don't talk shit to me!" Zero spat. He snarled at him face to face.

The captain levelled his icy stare on his adversary's multi-coloured eyes; he saw nothing but hate and madness there. Byakuya showed no fear even as waves of blackness washed across his vision. His words were obviously affecting this man and his unstated theory appeared to hit close to home. It was something that nagged at him from their first fight, Zero had said: ' _How could he care for this?'_  Byakuya wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but after Rukia and Renji's update…it seemed a valid supposition.

Zero unexpectedly growled with frustration.

"I know that stupid shinigami cared about me!" Zero clamoured all of the sudden. "He was so powerful, and it was what drew me to him—I  _wanted_  that power, too. I was able to see him. He said I had a strong sense of awareness. I could have been the best soldier the world ever knew. And then Daiki shows up one day saying that his people would execute him if I didn't die! That he'd broken some laws for fraternizing with a human. Coward! The only chance I had was to convince him that I loved him back, and to save me by giving me his powers…that we could fight together. Daiki believed me, he fell for it. I knew that I had to kill him first or he would kill me! And he almost did kill me. For a moment I was nothing more than a pathetic human again—Daiki severed my chain. Then as he stood there about to strike me down, he told me that he couldn't bear to finish it, that I broke his heart when I used my new power to strike him. He said he felt sorry for me! He told me that becoming a Hollow was my penance, divine justice. And just left me there for someone else to finish off!  _He left me there!_ " Zero was seething with loathing, "I knew other shinigami would come after me, but they never found me. And by the time they did, it was too late. I swore up until the moment I changed into a Hollow that I would get my vengeance on Daiki...and look what I became."

"A monster," Byakuya replied darkly, "a murderer."

"Daiki's power hadn't completely left me. I don't understand how it happened, but I felt even  _more_  powerful, perhaps I should have thanked him. His soul was so tasty! I became a true soldier, a warrior… _no one can stop me!_  My power is unique," Zero corrected Byakuya vehemently.

The captain understood now, "Apart from Ichigo."

Zero let go of his clothing and snarled, "There cannot be two of us! _I_  was here first…I'm his replacement!"

Byakuya sniffed with revulsion and held his ground, "You're nothing of the kind. I can't believe you deceived a man into trusting you loved him in return…only to steal his power. Disgusting! Shinigami do not idly break the rules unless they believe in their cause strongly enough, yet your greed led you astray and you stomped all over Horiuchi's honour!"

" _What do you know?"_  cried Zero.

The noble didn't need to answer that.

Zero began to laugh manically, "Daiki was pathetic! How could a soul reaper love a human? I almost wanted to believe him."

"I am talking to a madman," Byakuya said, he was finished with this. If he was going to die, then let it be done already! He did not want to hear another word of this insanity. For a brief moment he sensed it, Zero's tirade had left him painless. Not one to miss an opportunity, Byakuya dropped his sword and called for his bankai, but...

His sword simply stuck into the ground upright with a dull  _thud._  He stared on utterly stupefied, his eyes flashed up to meet Zero guardedly.

A lop-sided grin appeared on Zero's pale face, a handsome face if it weren't made so ugly by his revolting nature. "What's the matter? Are you going to try and attack me with that power of yours again? So sorry," Zero mocked. "My grip on your soul has nullified your power. You got lucky last time. I was too busy with Ichigo to stop you then—spread too thin. I can only do so much!"

As if he were being stabbed by a hundred swords, Byakuya was forced to his knees once more. And this time a whimper escaped him, his dignity but a whisper in his ear. The pain was agonizing.

"Mmm, I can taste your soul already…so much power wasted on another sanctimonious shinigami! You guys are all the same!" Zero shouted and took a breath, then continued softly, "Although, I must admit your world is the most beautiful one I have ever seen in all my years." Arashi broke into a fit of laughter. "Your zanpakuto is a valid combatant! HAHA! Without your bankai's you don't have a chance in hell!"

The zing of metal sang as Zero unsheathed both of his katana and began to raise them up above his head to launch a death blow on Byakuya. When he got half way there, Zero came to an abrupt halt.

"What are you doing?" Zero demanded all of a sudden, and pointed at Byakuya's chest with one sword, "What is  _that?_ "

Byakuya felt a brief moment of mercy and noticed a change of expression on Zero's face. He glanced down his front where the other man was looking and saw a pink glow emanating from under his haori near his ribcage. Reaching inside, he produced the protection talisman he still carried. The Gotei Captain could not believe what he saw.

The charm glowed on the palm of Byakuya's hand. How long had it been activated? If it was glowing in his possession then that could only mean…

Just when he needed him the most, Ichigo's reiatsu came to him like a siren's song. It didn't flow around him, but inside of him, he could feel it in his fingertips. That power linked to his own. He instantly felt invigorated as if the wounds inside of him had been healed. Looking up at Zero with fresh resolve, Byakuya rose to his feet steadily and delivered his own warning derisively, "A moment ago, I would have agreed with you that my death was imminent, however…I'm afraid it will be  _you_  that perishes tonight, Arashi."

* * *

Where was he? What happened?

Ichigo halted his Hollow transformation for a moment and did a complete three-sixty as he scanned the area he stood. All around him were these massive, blossoming cherry trees bursting with fragrance and colour, although the sky overhead was growing heavy with clouds as grey and black as thunderheads. A gusty wind sailed passed his face and ruffled his hair, sending an endless rain of petals to the ground. It was like being caught inside a snowglobe, but with petals instead of snow. It seemed as if a storm was brewing. Ichigo glanced down at his feet at grass that was as green as jade, squishy and soft. He noticed  _waraji_  on his feet and quickly realized he was in his soul reaper  _shihakusho._  Immediately, he felt for the hilt of his zanpakuto. Reassured that Zangetsu was with him, he walked out into a clearing between the trees when the first fat raindrops began to fall.

Suddenly out of the quiet came a roar and the ground began to shake. A blue blast of energy tore through the trees and straight at Ichigo's back. Unsure which way to look, Ichigo spun around, grabbing for his sword in the same motion, ready for a battle and balked when he recognized the zanpakuto that appeared in front of him immediately. The tall warrior blocked the attack with his own sword and sheer will, which diverted the lightning bolt pass them.

"Senbonzakura!" Ichigo cried as the sky tore open. Sheets of rain and sharp hail stones fell upon them, "What are you doing here?"

"Ichigo, my master has been led into an ambush! He was led to believe Zero had you and I couldn't stop him, he wouldn't listen!" the sword soul told him angrily, hail ticking off of his armour. "Zero is quickly destroying him, and I can't do anything about it!"

"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed, as a sickening feeling of guilt and rage washed over him. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. "There has to be a way to stop him!"

A familiar cackling came from overhead. They both looked up to see Zero in his black outfit and hat, his hands holding his pair of katana. The laughing quickly came to a halt.

Zero frowned deeply and howled with fury. "Ugh! What are  _you_  doing here? How did you get in here?" he screamed at them.

It couldn't be…

"Don't...don't tell me I'm in Byakuya's inner world?" Ichigo demanded unbelievingly.

Another blast came at them. Senbonzakura grabbed Ichigo and practically threw him behind the trunk of a cherry tree. Ichigo braced himself next to the samurai as the thunder bolt decimated the tree just above their heads and began to collapse on them. They dodged the falling tree, dashing to their right, taking shelter behind another solid trunk.

"Where else do you think you are?" the zanpakuto said as if he should know, "We don't have time to chat! Explain later…right now we need to try and stop Zero before he kills us all!"

"I won't let that happen!  _I won't let him take Byakuya from me!_ " the human soul reaper raged.

"Ichigo…" the samurai voiced delicately. "What can we do? This guy holds my very power in his hands while he's in here  _and_  out there! Neither my master nor I can produce our bankai… I understand now why you were so easily overcome the first time."

Ichigo began to evaluate the situation. What Senbonzakura just said began to evolve in his mind. He suddenly thought of something. "There's a reason Zero avoided fighting both of us at the same time. Ugh! I'm so stupid to have thought I could take him on alone!" Ichigo stopped and reminded himself now was not the time to dwell on mistakes. "We're too strong for him to take all of us on at once, and I don't think he expected  _this._ This is our only chance; we have to do this together, Senbonzakura—all  _three_  of us. And we have to mix things up—lend each other our strength." Ichigo called forth his bankai.

The samurai quickly caught on. He wore a nefarious grin under his mask.

* * *

A pair of shouji screens appeared and opened right above the field on which Byakuya and Zero stood.

From the senkaimon gate exited the Tenth Division Captain and Vice-Captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto. They found footing on the wet field close to the end zone a few yards away from Byakuya in a flash of shunpo.

The short, spiky white-haired captain spoke to his taller, strawberry blonde-haired second-in-command already sodden by rain, "It looks like we made it right on time." Though, he had no idea that the Captain of the Sixth had just momentarily been teetering on the precipice of death, and that if Byakuya turned around he'd see a windflower scarf darkened and soaked with blood down its front.

"I'm not sure Kuchiki-taicho needs our assistance by the looks of things..." the busty woman started unsure and trailed off when she noticed Rukia and Renji in shinigami form, and Ichigo's real world friends rush over to them.

"Where's Ichigo?" Rukia questioned the newcomers, her eyes flashing over at her brother who stood alone across from Zero in the middle of the dark field.

"Rukia-san," Rangiku said, "I dunno what you're talking about. I haven't seen Kurosaki-san, we just arrived a moment before you did."

"It seems as if he's holding his own," Toshiro said and thumbed after Byakuya.

Rukia couldn't be sure about that. She knew the details of what happened with Ichigo and her brother when they first fought this guy. Zero could be inside her brother's inner world ripping it apart. She frowned anxiously when she noticed Byakuya's sword sticking out of the ground in front of him.

"There's something wrong here," Renji assured, seeing the same thing Rukia was. "What's that thing glowing in his hand?"

It was faint from this distance but everyone could see the tiny, pink glowing item dangling from Byakuya's clenched right fist by his side.

No one had an answer.

The scene of what appeared a silent standoff, or a cornered captain, suddenly stirred. In a flash Byakuya grabbed his sword and yanked it out of the earth. He thrust it to his side, holding the wet hilt with both hands and charged after the enemy, his feet splashing over the wet grass. Just as his sword came down over Zero's front, Senbonzakura appeared from behind like a demon in the night and slashed his sword across Zero's back.

Metal met flesh and blood spattered. Zero gasped in shock, his eyes wide with terror and surprise. His hold on Byakuya's power was released against his will. But soon his shock subsided into a foolish grin on his diabolical face and a chuckle erupted from his throat.

Byakuya took a step back, staring at his zanpakuto with equal surprise. Behind him he sensed Rukia and Renji, even Ichigo's friends and the Tenth Division Captain and Vice-Captain. But he didn't dare take his eyes off Zero.

" _Byakuya? *Sigh* I wonder if he can hear me... You won't believe where I am."_

"Ichigo?" spoke Byakuya incredulously. He gripped the charm he held even tighter.

" _You can hear me! Remember what you said about us crushing this guy? I'll handle things from in here—you and Senbonzakura take care of Zero out there. This is the only way! He controls only one person at a time…but as long as I'm in here, he can't have you. Alone we're useless against him, but together we can dance all over this asshole!"_

"How?" wailed Zero. "How are you guys doing this?" he demanded.

Byakuya regarded Zero blankly. "I have no reason to explain myself to the likes of you."

"Don't think you two got the best of me yet!" Zero raged and laughed maddeningly.

With a belligerent scoff Byakuya explained, "A man that seeks only power is certain to fall…your plan has failed, Arashi. There is nothing left but for me to help you achieve your fate."

Zero growled at him.

Byakuya and Senbonzakura took a few paces back, putting space between them and this cretin who was now trapped. A cornered man was by far the most dangerous.

"You are not the only one with backup," snarled the quasi-shinigami beast.

Pointing with his sword, everyone heard the unique ripping sound of a Garganta tearing open in the dismal night sky. From the throat of Hueco Mundo crawled out three large Adjuchas, the second strongest Hollow in the three classes of Menos. The trio varied in size, although all were as large as a house or bigger. They dropped to the field behind Senbonzakura, and in unison roared so loud it shook the ground they stood on.

Rukia called from behind, "Nii-sama, we'll take care of this!"

Byakuya watched as Rukia, Hitsugaya, Rangiku, Ishida and Chad appeared in front of the three Menos with swords, arrow and fist drawn.

"Your Menos don't stand a chance. It's time we ended this," the noble guaranteed and held his sword up in front of his face.

Senbonzakura followed suit of his master and together they gave the command.

"Scatter."

* * *

As if clawing his face apart with his gnarly, clawed fingers Zero produced that ram-horned mask with the blue streak across the front, his blonde hair short and spiky in this form. His tattered clothing and monstrous limbs making him tower over the shinigami. Under the shadows and rain, Zero's new appearance seemed even more deadly and strong than it had before. His reiatsu was thick and heavy, surging off of him in rampant bursts. He was a breathing nightmare, releasing his anger with a horrible shrill.

Ichigo was not thwarted by the image before him.

Never again would he let this guy harm another soul! The very thought that he'd let this man trick him and nearly got Byakuya killed, for a second time, burned in him like the pyres of hell. Letting go of his rational mind, Ichigo permit his own Hollow to take over his bankai, which increased his power even more. He roared with his own fury as he transformed into a menacing beast as daunting as Zero. His body didn't resemble his own anymore, but was greyish and elongated, his shinigami uniform in shreds and his chest bare. His mask was something created as if from the most dismal pits of Hueco Mundo—a dual-horned, sinister creation with skeletal teeth and bony appearance emblazoned with red streaks. His orange hair was no longer short, but long and untamed.

Zero barely gave him a moment to breathe as he rushed at him. The two Hollows clashed in a charged collision of power. Swords clanged together at an infuriating speed and well-timed strikes as they flew above the trees and under the torrent of rain. Lightning streaked across the sky…

"I won't let you be the victor," snarled Zero.

"Says the man that's about to die!" sneered Ichigo's malevolent side.

Ichigo picked up his speed and danced around Zero in such a flurry, dodging his pair of katana that the man couldn't tell which side he was on. Cunningly, Ichigo confused Zero and flew back and pointed his horns at his opponent. A heavy red cero shot out from between the horns and caught the other Hollow in its blast.

Zero was slammed through two trees, taking them down and sending up clouds of petals, dirt and bark into the air.

Ichigo lunged at him with his sword, but Zero dodged it and sliced cleanly through another tree that toppled over.

"Over here," Zero psyched and managed to carve one sword deep across Ichigo's right thigh and claw the bottom half of his mask off.

Ichigo skirted back to regain his balance, but that was short-lived as a bright blue cero came at him, catching him directly in front. Ichigo stood his ground, completely unmoved by the force as it burned over him. All that registered of the attack was the thin trails of smoke that sizzled off his skin and clothes in the aftermath. Zero's power was no longer a match to his own power, a power he was sharing with Byakuya. The vizard fought for honour and for love, his resolve was immense, infinite.

An impassioned Kurosaki Ichigo was unstoppable!

The wound didn't seem to affect Ichigo in the least and he brought his sword down in a chopping motion, releasing a condensed mass of black and red energy. "Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo moved so fast that he was already at the receiving side of his assault and fired off another Getsuga Tensho. He did the same from the east and west side of his target, giving Zero no quarter.

* * *

Commands of power could be heard behind Senbonzakura as their backup cleaned up the Menos and worked on closing the Garganta. And in the middle of the football field another battle raged on. As if in sync both Byakuya and Senbonzakura's shikai chased after Zero who dodged endlessly as the blades from all sides, made it impossible for him to stop for even a second.

"For such a valiant warrior you comprise a mastered art of fleeing," claimed the noble shinigami. "A pity, I thought you'd be more of a challenge but clearly you are now outmatched."

"Now you're only bragging!" charged Zero, "I have no intention of running from this battle. You and Ichigo may have found a way to increase your power, but I have not yet shown you  _my_  full power. This fight is to the death shinigami!"

Byakuya scoffed, "Then prove it."

Zero was quickly beginning to tire. Even if he wanted to flee, the blades forced him to stop and go the other way. Their speed was much too fast for him, even though he managed to dodge the assault from two sides, and he knew he would soon be overcome. There was no other choice.

"You won't escape this, Prince!" Zero snarled and cried, "Bankai!"

The sky began to streak and crack with thick forks of vibrant, cerulean lightning. It was so bright it blinded Byakuya and Senbonzakura, they couldn't steer the thousands of blades under their control. It gave Zero the perfect opportunity to call his ultimate attack.

Byakuya remained vigilant and wary, noting the streaks of lightning and anticipating the oncoming attack. The air felt heavier than it did a moment before and the smell of ozone was noticeable.

"Naguru: Gobosei Inazuma!"

Ready to use even his most complex shunpo steps, Byakuya wasn't prepared for what was coming. Under his feet a gigantic, intricately designed pentagram began to glow bright red and when he tried to move he found he couldn't. Standing in the middle of some kind of magical seal, he stood, trapped. High up in the sky the lightning continued to crack fiercely. There was no kido to help him out of this one; Byakuya braced himself for the oncoming strike.

It seemed like in the same instant an enormous bolt of lightning struck the middle of the pentagram Byakuya found himself tackled out of the hold, the wind knocked out of him, and sprawled on his back over the wet grass. The flash before him was so bright he had to shield his eyes and quickly cast the defending wall kido spell, Splitting Void just in time.

Darkness prevailed once more and the Gotei captain quickly rose to his feet, blinking the burned spots from his vision. In the place he had been standing on the pentagram now lay an unmoving, mask-less Senbonzakura.

Anger replaced his confusion and he glared at Zero. "It would appear you live up to your name, Akahoshi," Byakuya bit out.

Zero cursed, his swords crackling with electricity. "Why are you people always protecting each other?"

Byakuya knew his zanpakuto was not finished, he could still feel his spirit but it was weak, thin. "A man such as yourself would not understand the meaning of loyalty. Rest assured, I will not go lightly on you this time," he explained in an eerily calm manner and confidently dropped his sword once more.

"Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi"

Arashi Akahoshi was once more witness to the daunting display of swords that rose up from the ground on either side of Byakuya and burst into tiny pink blades.

"Shukei: Hakuteiken"

The petals seemed to be absorbed by Byakuya and a pillar of devastating white light shot up around him. As blindingly bright as Zero's lightning had been, a pair of white wings born of Byakuya's spiritual energy spread from either side of him from his sword enveloping him in an ethereal white light. Arched over his head was an equally white, angelic crescent like that of the moon. The wings surged with vast power, the area around them frightfully charged with Byakuya's reiatsu.

"Tonight, I use this technique for my pride," was the only thing Byakuya had left to say to Zero.

Zero had no reply to that. He knew that this was the moment to end it all. There was no backing down now. He would finish this shinigami!  _He would finish them both in one shot!_ He held up his swords towards the heavens as violent streaks of lightning coursed down and struck the tips, engulfing him and the katana in cords of rippling energy that swirled around his body. And when he pointed his swords at Byakuya...

Both men charged.

Blue currents crackled around Zero's swords as he rushed and Byakuya flew towards him with clenched teeth visibly bared. The moment their immense power clashed, it burst into a white explosion tinted with black and red streaks borne of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho which swallowed up the blue. Inside, Byakuya could hear an echo of Zero's horrid cry of death and Ichigo's Hollow roar of conquest.

They had landed the final blow on Zero at the same time.

The field grew dark and silent once more, and disrupted earth settled. The rain fell gently.

The two halves of Zero's separated body lay still on the ground. Byakuya had cut him clean in half.

In a flash Ichigo appeared beside Byakuya and removed his mask, transforming himself back into bankai soul reaper form. Both wearied men stood looking at the body. The top half of Zero was laying face down in the soppy, wet grass. Zero's reiatsu flowed no more.

Ichigo looked over at Byakuya and was stricken to see blood staining the front of his scarf, but the rain seemed to have cleaned all traces of blood from his face. His eyes dropped to a bleeding wound at the noble's right side, the haori torn and edged darkly with fresh blood. He went to inspect, but Byakuya swatted his hand away crossly.

There was a long moment of tense silence.

"Why, Ichigo?" he demanded coldly, looking him straight in the eye and a frown angrily set on his face. "Why did you lie to me about this?" Byakuya held out the protection charm which was no longer was glowing on his palm.

Ichigo sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Byakuya. I...I thought I could protect you if Zero came back looking for a fight that…that I'd finish him off alone. I had no idea the charm would work this way! I didn't want to involve you in this again!" he cried.

" _Fool!_  You could have gotten yourself killed!" Byakuya flared.

"I know! It was stupid. But I…I did it because... _I've fallen in love with you!"_  Ichigo shouted furiously at him.

Byakuya's eyes flashed.

Ichigo looked away. "I didn't want you to get hurt…I don't want to lose you! I fucked up and you got hurt because of me again anyways," Ichigo expressed sombrely, crumbling to his knees in the wet grass. He felt so pathetic and exhausted, disappointed with his bad judgment and for letting Byakuya down like that. "I'm afraid that if I love you too much that something will take you away from me. And tonight that something almost did…" He spoke from a tightened throat and stared at the ground, too ashamed to look Byakuya in the eye.

The anger Byakuya felt simply vanished as he looked down at his lover on his knees before him, his ginger hair plastered to his head and looking so dismal in the rain. The sound of Ichigo's voice right now suddenly made it hard for him to swallow. He had to take a breath before he knelt down in front of Ichigo on one knee and reached out to him, lifting his face up by his chin gently with one hand. "Ichigo, I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere. I understand how you must feel and I apologize for getting angry, but I…I don't want to lose you either."

Ichigo lifted his miserable gaze to Byakuya's, droplets of rain coursing down his face.

Byakuya used the pad of his thumb to wipe the water aside; Ichigo looked so enchantingly exposed right now. He smiled softly, "Anyways, it would seem as if your brainless idea proved to benefit the both of us in the end. You're lucky I found the charm on Kon's neck tonight—if you were not there to protect my world then, Zero would have certainly finished me off. It would seem as if a connection was made between us and the charm the day I gave it to you, and it doesn't seem to matter which one of us has it." He paused for a moment and looked over to see that Orihime girl healing his zanpakuto. He looked back to Ichigo and fixed the charm back around his neck where it belonged, "If you love someone you have to trust them, Ichigo."

Curling his fingers around Byakuya's  _tekkou_ -covered wrist Ichigo murmured boldly, "Does that mean you trust me?"

"Even though you lied to me…yes, I trust you," Byakuya answered the baited question, knowing full well what he was admitting to. "I'll even overlook the fact that you tainted my inner world with your filthy Hollow."

Ichigo chuckled quietly. Leave it to Byakuya to lighten the mood with an insult. It was exactly what he needed to hear and Ichigo swooped in claiming the man in a genuine embrace.

The older soul reaper grunted gently with pain.

The vizard pulled back immediately, "I'm sorry…you're hurt, I didn't mean to." Ichigo was watching Byakuya and noticed his eyes were looking over his shoulder. He turned to see what he was looking at and was surprised to see Inoue healing Senbonzakura who laid there with his hands over his face.

"I believe he ran out of spares," Byakuya mused when he saw what Ichigo was looking at. "I'll be alright until we get to Soul Society," he assured, "I see you have a wound on your leg. Let's go home."

"Home...?"

"Well...my home," Byakuya said and stood up, holding a hand out for Ichigo to take.

A set of throats being cleared sounded in chorus behind the noble.

The human shinigami took the hand tentatively, realizing that everyone was here and had probably been watching and listening the  _whole_  time. Ichigo peered squeamishly over Byakuya's shoulder at them.

Rukia, Renji, Chad, and Ishida were waving at him. Even Toshiro and Rangiku! Rangiku winked at him wickedly.

Ichigo began to fluster.

Byakuya saw the look on Ichigo's face and leaned over, very close to his ear. He said only for him to hear, "What they think of this, matters very little to me."

Those words surprised Ichigo. He returned his gaze to Byakuya's again and was astonished to see nothing in his eyes, but pride.


	15. Stay

Two days after Zero's demise, Ichigo found himself outside Renji's door following working hours. He knocked lightly.

The door opened and Rukia stood there in a soft pink kimono. She asked right away, "Ichigo? Is everything alright?"

"Couldn't be better," he replied, a friendly smile on his face.

Rukia eyed Ichigo over in his shinigami attire carefully, minus his sword. Guess there really wasn't a problem. "Come in," she offered.

The vizard took a step in and looked around. Right off the cuff he noticed the tell-tale signs of Rukia's part-time inhabitancy here. For one there was a flower vase on the small table under the window on the far end, a collection of Chappy drawings on the side of the fridge the he could see from here and the air smelled of lilacs. The place was noticeably tidy, cushions on the couch in place, the floor was swept, books on their shelves, clothes where they belonged—or at least out of sight, and Renji was actually wearing a shirt instead of normally wandering around in only a pair of shorts.

"So you  _are_  alive, Ichigo," Renji teased, "I thought you got lost inside the tunnels of the Kuchiki manor."

Rukia tossed a scowl at Renji, but he only held up his hands with mock innocence.

"And I see Rukia's whipping you into shape," Ichigo countered coyly regarding the homestead once more.

"Well, you know…" the redhead chuckled, "Seems we all found a little slice of happiness lately, eh?"

Ichigo couldn't argue with that.

"So what brings you here, Ichigo?" Rukia wondered and noted a small parcel he was carrying. "What's that?"

"A gift," Ichigo said modestly, "For Byakuya."

Renji made a gregarious gagging sound with his index finger directed at his open mouth and lolling tongue. Then he said, "And you say  _I'm_  the one's that's whipped. HA!"

"Will you two shut up?" Rukia complained and looked at Ichigo. Her face going from an obvious scowl to near chibi-eyed in seconds, "I think it's  _so_  cute that you got nii-sama a present."

"Yeah…well, he was sleeping and I got this idea so I stepped out." Ichigo scratched at his orange head. "I kind of figured you were here, sorry Renji, but I was actually looking for Rukia."

"No offense taken. If it were any other guy calling for Rukia, I might just have to introduce them to Zabimaru." He grinned widely, yet menacingly.

Ichigo smirked and looked at Rukia who was rolling her eyes about Renji's comment. He chuckled to himself and held up the small shopping bag he carried, "I need help wrapping this. I want it to look nice, but I'm terrible when it comes to wrapping gifts. I was hoping you could help me out…if you're not busy."

Rukia appeared as if she'd just seen Chappy come to life, "Of course I can help. We'll make it perfect for nii-sama."

"Well, I'll leave that girly stuff to you guys. I have to do the dishes," Renji mumbled and wandered out of the room and into the nearby kitchen.

Dishes…?  _*Snort!*_  Look who's talking about girly stuff, Ichigo thought. He began to simper and Rukia swatted him crossly.

"What?" he asked, unable to stop his mischievous chortle and Rukia gave him another swat to the shoulder. "Ow…" Ichigo bemoaned.

"Renji's a really good guy," she said softly.

Rubbing his shoulder, Ichigo lost the grin and wore a thoughtful face, "I know, Rukia. I'm just joking."

"I know you are. It's just, Renji loves teasing you about nii-sama, don't take him seriously. And just so you know, Ichigo...I'm thankful nii-sama has you."

"Thanks, Rukia." Ichigo began to blush with all this sappy talk. He nudged Rukia's arm with a light fist, "I thought you would beat the crap out of me for laying a finger on Byakuya."

Rukia made a contemplative face. "Well…at first…"

"Hey!"

"I said  _at first_ , Ichigo," she muttered dryly. "But…but that didn't last long. Not after I saw how happy you make him. That's all that matters to me, that both of you are happy."

Ichigo almost burned a spot on the floor where he was standing he was blushing so hard, "Can we stop all this talk now?"

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" she cried, and continued more calmly, "Anyways, if I tell you something will you promise not to tell nii-sama?"

"Hmm, that depends on what it is," Ichigo claimed and was awarded with a huffy, frowning Rukia. "Alright, I'll be serious now," he promised, "What's the big secret?"

Rukia looked pleased again and leaned over to whisper, "Renji and I are thinking about getting married."

The eyebrows on Ichigo's face rose. "That's really awesome!" But then he looked confused, "So why is it a big secret?"

She whispered and mouthed mostly, "Cause Renji has to ask nii-sama for his blessing and he's…"

"Shitting his pants," Ichigo quietly finished for her.

She nodded, "But we're not rushing, maybe in a couple of months."

"I'm sure he'll be happy for you guys, it isn't like he doesn't know you're both official now. You know, yesterday he said something weird about how he didn't think he could handle an heir if they were anything like him when he was a kid. And that one of the clan elders could stuff it…something like that," Ichigo revealed, amused.

Rukia snorted, "Did he really say that?"

"The stuff it part for sure," Ichigo chuckled, "I'm not sure why he was talking about heirs, but he fully admitted he'd been a handful as a kid. So to be fair, I told him that I had been a real cry baby when I was a kid. Then, he laughed at me, Rukia."

Rukia snickered at Ichigo's indignant expression, delighted that they could still talk openly like this together even if he was now with her brother. Inside, she had been a little worried about losing her friend. But now she knew that wasn't possible. She got up and left the room, returning a moment later with and handful of blue wrapping paper and a floppy white ribbon, a pair of scissors and tape.

"I think that ribbon is a bit big for this present…it's only the size of a deck of cards," Ichigo warned.

"Then we'll put it in a larger box," the dark-haired woman suggested.

Ichigo nodded. "Thanks, Rukia, for everything."

* * *

Later in the evening, Ichigo entered the Kuchiki manor grounds. He wasn't accosted by guards, and they even greeted him by name. He entered the house and headed for the garden, taking a short-cut through the kitchen that brought him outside to the wrap-around porch faster. He thought he might find the Sixth Division Captain wandering around the garden at this hour. But, at the other end of the wooden veranda, on the floor in front of the steps leading to the garden, sat Byakuya in a casual dark-coloured kimono, kenseikan-less and cross-legged with a small bottle of sake and drinking dish in front of him instead.

Ichigo stopped to admire his beautiful lover for a moment. Heh, his lover…

He could hardly believe the man sitting there under the soft, white glow of the spirit world moon was connected to his heart. It felt as if it had always been somehow, but truthfully their journey really was just beginning. Ichigo took in every detail of this peaceful representation. How Byakuya sat with hands resting behind him. His face seemed paler under the moon, ivory smooth and calm. Everything around him was darkened with serene shadow, making the scene pleasing and almost dreamlike. Ichigo thought, after confiding in each other all those days ago on his rooftop, how easy it became to love this man. How effortless it was to talk to him about whatever he wanted. Everything just seemed to fall into place, somehow everything made perfect sense. Love might not have struck him like lighting right away, and it had taken a long time to reach this point, but once he had a chance to get to know Byakuya for who he truly was, he wondered why the hell he'd never done so sooner.

His mother was right. When love found him, or he found love, he would just know. And he did.

Ichigo recalled the story Byakuya told him about Zero, what the man said to him during the final acts of their fight. It made Ichigo's stomach twist. He couldn't ever imagine how anyone could do such a dishonourable thing to someone. He felt sorry for the shinigami Zero used. And Unohana told Ichigo, after he warned her that Byakuya might have internal injuries, knowing what Zero had been capable of and fretting around the infirmary, that the only injuries Byakuya suffered was the final one that Zero delivered. That if there were any internal ones before that that they weren't there anymore. She asked Ichigo if he'd had anything to do with that, but he could only shrug. If he had he really didn't know. Well, whatever happened, Ichigo was sure glad that Byakuya only had one wound to deal with, and he healed so fast that he was in his own house and out of the infirmary in two days.

And Ichigo had spent every waking moment at his side…until today. For the first time in a long time, Ichigo thought he was in no rush to go back home. Except for the quick trip back while Byakuya was resting to pick up this gift. He felt like giving Byakuya a present, something to show he was truly sorry for being tenacious and dishonest, and because he just wanted to.

He knew Byakuya would be home, because he'd been ordered to take a few days off to rest up after all he'd gone through. All the business and reporting of the incident was behind them.

Everything in Soul Society and the Human World was at peace once again.

"Ichigo, how long are you going to stand there watching?" Byakuya murmured his eyes still skywards.

Chuffing, Ichigo padded over and sat down next to him quietly.

"Where did you go?" questioned the noble with slight concern. When he woke up earlier he found Ichigo's empty teacup next to his bed and couldn't sense his reiatsu anywhere within Soul Society. Finally shifting, he looked over at Ichigo and then at the box he held. His lover was smiling mischievously at him.

"I went out and got you something," Ichigo said and handed the present out for Byakuya to take. "Go on, open it."

Utterly surprised and unaccustomed to receiving random gifts with no pretentious overtones, Byakuya took the present wrapped in eggshell-blue paper with a silky, shiny white ribbon and set it in his lap. Inside he was as thrilled as a little boy would be, but outside he held it together. "You didn't have to do this," he assured Ichigo.

"Don't be so reserved, everyone likes presents. I want to thank you for everything you've been through for me, ok?" Ichigo pointed at the sake bottle, "May I?"

"Help yourself," Byakuya replied easily and pulled the tail end of the ribbon, setting it loose and unravelling from the top of the box.

Pouring a small amount of sake into the dish, Ichigo took a sip, enjoying the cleansing burn racing over his tongue and down his throat. "If you wait too long, Christmas will be over before you open that," Ichigo teased.

Byakuya gave a soft grunt and ripped off the paper. He pried open a black box and removed a matted black object as small as a credit card and as thick as a pencil from a bedding of shredded paper stuffing. It had one matted side and one shiny side with tiny buttons on it. Looking further into the box he pulled out a long wire with a pair of foamy-tipped ends on it. He seemed confused, "What is it?"

Chuckling, Ichigo put the dish down and took the item from Byakuya. He attached the headphones to the device and turned it on. The small screen glowed and Ichigo fumbled with the buttons for the perfect song to play for this moment. He shifted closer and carefully placed the buds in Byakuya's ears.

 _Beneath the Moonlight_  an instrumental by Yoko Ueno began to play.

Byakuya stared fixedly ahead at nothing as music filled his mind for a moment. Then he flashed his eyes over to Ichigo who was watching him intently for his reaction. A soft smile settled to his face and he closed his eyes to place his focus on the beautiful arrangement he was listening to. He felt Ichigo take his hand and he squeezed it warmly.

When the song was finished it started another but Byakuya reached up and removed the earphones. "You gave me music," he said thoughtfully.

"An MP3 player, actually," Ichigo explained patiently, "I stopped by my house and put everything I have on this thing…way over eight hundred songs. It should keep you busy for awhile." He took another sip of sake and continued, "Everything is on there, rock, classical, soundtracks, dance, pop, old stuff…you name it." A deeper thought came to mind. "I dunno. It seemed like the perfect gift. Sometimes when the voices in my head won't stop, I listen to music. It's relaxing. I think you could use some of that."

The noble understood exactly what Ichigo meant.

"I can show you how to work it. Oh, it plays video, too. If you want I could put that goofy T.V drama you were watching with Yuzu on this thing," Ichigo offered.

"Really...?"

"Of course, the quality is amazing on these players," the human shinigami offered earnestly. "Who knew you liked a show with some guy that wears a mask and robs from corrupt Japanese government officials. Gives the riches to the poor and leaves behind a painting of a plum tree as his trademark." Ichigo simpered in secret.

"He is in truth searching for the sword that was used to kill his father," Byakuya disclosed seriously.

Ichigo said nothing and only squeezed Byakuya's hand tighter.

"Thank you, Ichigo, for this charming gift," the noble voiced genuinely.

"You're welcome, but I'd like it more if you thanked me right here." Ichigo pointed a finger to his cheek.

Byakuya gave a small scoff and set the MP3 player back in the box. Instead of placing the requested kiss on Ichigo's cheek, he slid his free hand along the other man's inner thigh, dangerously close to sensitive areas. He leaned over and whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of Ichigo's ear seductively, "I have a much better way in which I'd like to thank you."

The vizards' dick twitched. "Oh? Are you sure you're feeling up for that?"

Still holding Ichigo's hand, Byakuya brought the back of it to his own cheek affectionately before planting a soft kiss to it, "My wound has healed over I can barely notice it." Then he guided Ichigo's hand lower and unabashedly brushed it over his groin, which was feeling reasonably erect beneath the fabric of his kimono.

Amber eyes widened. Ichigo snatched his hand away and bleated, "Byakuya! What if someone is watching?"

"Please, it's  _my_  manor. I can do what I like," the noble expressed with a huff.

Ichigo couldn't believe this guy sometimes. He asked suspiciously, "How much sake have you had?"

"Not enough to concern you," Byakuya answered and alleged, "I do have more control than you do."

"Hmm, I beg to differ," Ichigo replied with a chuckle, "I mean a second ago you couldn't keep my hand off you."

"There are some things not worth controlling," hinted the captain.

Ichigo couldn't help it. He was undeniably turned on! When Byakuya got like this it drove him mad with desire.

The vizard didn't even notice, but somehow Byakuya summoned a servant that was probably waiting in hiding in the shadows and watching everything! Ichigo screwed up his face…this was something he wasn't sure how to get used to. His desire sank like a paper boat to the bottom of a lake.

"Is everything prepared?" Byakuya asked the older male servant.

"Yes, my lord," he answered.

Byakuya held up a hand in dismissal and glanced over at Ichigo, "I was about to indulge in a bath before you came by, but since you're here…you can join me."

Ichigo's paper boat emerged a battleship from the watery depths.

They rose to their feet and Ichigo followed Byakuya to the bath. Along the way he asked, "How do you ever feel like you have any privacy?"

Byakuya chuffed, but stated seriously, "They have sworn fidelity to this house Ichigo, and they serve me. You get used to it. Do not worry; they won't be spying on us in the bath."

"That's a relief," Ichigo muttered. The noble slid a door open for him.

Ichigo entered a spacious change room and slid open another door leading to the bath to peek at the large, high-ceiling bathroom alight vibrantly by wall sconces and filled with clouds of steam. In the foggy center was a square-shaped pool full of hot water. It could probably fit about twenty nobles at one time. Around the bath was an arrangement of ferns and wide-leafed plants that seemed to dwell happily in warm, moist conditions and gave the room a natural, peaceful feel. Being back in this bath reminded Ichigo of the first night Byakuya took a shower at his place, and that glorious apple-green towel.

"I think if I had a room like that at home I'd rarely leave it," mentioned Ichigo, half serious and not so shyly began to remove his clothing.

Byakuya was loosening his obi-sash. He looked over at the young shinigami and claimed, "Ichigo, I would be honoured if you considered my home your home, as well."

Stunned, Ichigo dropped his hakama which pooled around his feet and flashed his eyes up at the other man. "Byakuya…"

"I mean that," the captain insisted, glancing down at the garment at Ichigo's feet with a flicker of amusement. He padded over to the vizard and began to undress him gently. "I apologize for all the times I made you feel unwelcome…I…I was different man then. Not one that I'm proud of."

Ichigo hardly knew what to say, but he felt. Felt Byakuya's gentle hands brushing over him as he removed his clothing. No matter how many times this man touched him Ichigo could always feel it bore straight to his soul. Stripped of his clothing, he shivered from these touches even though the room was sweltering.

"Don't worry about it," he waved off the comment and watched as Byakuya hung up his clothing on a hook nearby, "The past can't be dwelled on forever. Like my father says, 'time to move forward'."

"A very wise man," Byakuya mused. He began to remove the top layer of his own kimono, "You know…I believe he suspects about you and me."

Ichigo sighed, "Yeah, I think you're right. He may act like an idiot but he's pretty sharp. The more stupid he's behaving the closer he is to the truth. Do you remember dinner that night?"

"How could I forget," the noble replied, amused. Ichigo ambled closer to him. Grey eyes watched patiently as Ichigo began to untie the sash that held his  _nagajuban_  together, the layer under his kimono. "He cares about you very much."

Ichigo snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Behind closed eyes, Byakuya felt Ichigo remove the final layer of clothing from his body. "It's almost a shame you don't try and reclaim your family name—you forget my family deals with archiving the history of Soul Society. I know about your father's past."

Ichigo held up a hand, "I'm sure you do, but you know that stuff isn't important to me. I'm proud to be a Kurosaki. No offense, Byakuya, but being a noble seems like a pain in the ass."

"None taken," Byakuya assured, watching Ichigo hang up his garments on a peg next to his own clothing. Aristocracy had its high points and its lows.

"Since we're having this kind of conversation," the vizard started nervously all of the sudden, "What happens between us now? I really liked having you stay with me in the real world. I still owe you a movie."

Standing before each other completely bare, Byakuya noted the anxiety in Ichigo's voice. Yes, what happens now? He already knew what he was willing to risk for Ichigo, but what was Ichigo willing to do about it? Instead of standing where they were, Byakuya urged Ichigo out to the steamy room where they could continue their discussion whilst soaking. It might unleash some of the tension that suddenly sprung up with inevitable unanswered questions lingering over their heads.

Each man rinsed themselves from a basin of warm water nearby before entering the very hot bath that was not intended for washing.

Ichigo sighed delightfully as he got in and sat back in the delicious hot water. So did Byakuya. A good ten minutes went by without a single word from either man as they sat across from each other shoulder deep in the water.

"Come over here," Byakuya ordered softly.

How was it, Ichigo thought with mirth, that he let this man order him around like this? It really was simple. Byakuya's orders always resulted in pleasant endings. But Ichigo still complained good-naturedly as he sat himself between Byakuya's legs and rest his head back against the other man's chest contently, "So dictatorial."

"And yet, you let me get away with it," quipped the noble, smoothing his hands over Ichigo's abdomen. He pressed his lips into steam-dampened ginger hair.

Ichigo knew as long as Byakuya didn't abuse that privilege he would always get away with it.

"So answer my question, Byakuya. I mean, you don't seem too worried about it."

There was a soft sigh. "It comes down to this, Ichigo, so listen carefully. I will not repeat myself," Byakuya said directly over his head. "If you wish to leave I won't prevent you from doing so. However, if you wish to stay I will no longer impede you."

Ichigo stared at the water carefully, his hands stopped dead in their travels over Byakuya's lean legs under the water, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I said I won't repeat myself."

The vizard scoffed, "But what about my family, my sisters…Karakura Town? School…?"

"I think it would be wise for you to finish your education, Ichigo. Didn't you say that you only have two months left? It gives you time to consider. I will leave the decision entirely up to you. Just know that whatever you decide my feelings for you won't change, ever," Byakuya explained resolutely, gently washing his hand up along Ichigo's arm.

Ichigo sat up abruptly and turned around to face the noble, resting on his knees in the water. He couldn't believe this was Byakuya talking. "What about you? What about your rules? I…I don't want to be the cause of trouble for you…I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you regret it later."

"I assure you I will regret nothing. I am the head of this family, Ichigo." Byakuya inhaled determinedly. "They won't like it, but it's still  _my_  choice. I can no longer see how my feelings for you could bring any dishonour to my name or my family's. Perhaps, I might have thought so at one time, but I  _cannot_  see it from that perspective anymore. Your blood is not so different from mine," he claimed boldly. Byakuya sighed heavily, "I'm sure you think that I entertained the same notion when I married, Hisana. Well, I didn't. I did marry her for love, yes, but I also married her to spite my family. As I mentioned to you yesterday, I had a tendency for trouble."

The younger soul reaper just stared at him.

"I'm not proud of it, Ichigo," Byakuya pledged.

"Why did you want to spite your family, though?" Ichigo asked.

Sighing again, Byakuya told him, "Because, I didn't like being told what to do."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

Ichigo snorted and shook his head bewildered, "And you laughed at me for admitting  _I_ was a cry baby. Hrmph!"

Byakuya cast his eyes aside. "Listen, Ichigo. It isn't like I'm not concerned as well. I will get a lot of provocation if you decide to stay here with me. Even over the fact that we are involved…it does not matter which. I'm willing to risk that. I trust my clan has no basis to judge my decision; I have made my mark and proven long ago I'm quite capable of being the head of this House." Byakuya suddenly produced a dangerous frown and hissed, " _They will just have to deal with it!_ "

Ichigo's eyes widened. Wow, when Byakuya made up his mind about something it was kind of daunting, he realized. "You're damn serious…you'd do all that for me?"

"I would and I already have," Byakuya said more calmly, "You don't think half of Seireitei doesn't already know of this by now? Or at least speculates."

Ichigo wanted to sink and disappear under the water but Byakuya reached over, willing him closer. He urged Ichigo to climb onto his lap so he could hold him.

Allowing his noble lover to hold him close, Ichigo rest his head on Byakuya's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his midsection, "Word travels fast, huh?"

"Soul Society thrives on gossip," the captain enlightened sarcastically. "You get used to it."

 _That_  was beginning to sound like a broken record. The vizard guffawed.

Byakuya had his hands on Ichigo's rear and he purposely shifted him gently to create splendid friction. His mind was swiftly forgetting about rules and politics, and focusing more on the pleasure that seemed  _much_  more important.

"Stay with me for the duration of my time off," he whispered with ardour, drawing blunt fingernails slowly up along Ichigo's lean back. The younger man trembled in his grasp and Byakuya leaned in to mouth along his neck. Feathering his lips over Ichigo's tantalizing flesh, drawing his tongue leisurely along his jugular that pulsed powerfully underneath.

Ichigo was being seduced and he knew it. He sighed amiably and lifted his chin, letting his head fall back as Byakuya willed the answer out of him with sweet seduction. How could he resist the invitation to spend a few pleasurable and most likely insatiable days alone with Byakuya?

"I guess I could stay."

A pleased sound escaped the noble and his sensual pursuit took on a more urgent note.

"Man…" Ichigo moaned with a sudden thought, "I'm going to have a lot of homework when I get back."

"I, too, will have my share of work to contend with. I don't look forward to it," Byakuya murmured absently, going from Ichigo's throat to his ear. He nipped at the lobe sharply.

A small whine escaped Ichigo and a victorious purr came from the noble.

"You know, I feel a bit ridiculous now, putting up such a fuss to go home in the first place when all I want to do now is to be here with you," Ichigo thought out loud.

"Yes. How ridiculous," Byakuya remotely agreed in between exploring Ichigo's ear with his tongue. "Speaking of the living world—I have a request," he said.

The vizard closed his eyes and felt a jolt race through his body when the noble's tongue wriggled into his ear. "Mmm…what is it?" he questioned in a hushed voice.

"Teach me how to ride a motorcycle," Byakuya whispered a breath later.

Ichigo pulled back and looked astonished at the man in front of him. " _Are you_   _serious?_  But…I don't even have a bike."

"That could be amended. Yuzu-chan told me your birthday isn't that far away…"

Immediately, Ichigo began to reject, "I couldn't ask for something like that. You don't need to spoil me."

"But I want to spoil you," Byakuya assured with authority, "You can't stop me from doing so."

Ichigo knew this was true. "I…I don't know what to say," he murmured.

"You don't have to say anything. The discussion is over," the captain commanded, and made his point by bringing his lips to his lover's.

Ichigo melted into the kiss and closed his eyes. He wrapped himself around the captain with fierce need, holding Byakuya tightly. Lost in his longing, Ichigo quickly dropped his thoughts and gave into his passion.

Their lips moved over each other's with a swift practiced skill, enjoying the endless amount of pleasure simply kissing gave them.

Being able to count the number of times he'd made love to Byakuya on one hand, so far, Ichigo found himself much braver with his sensuality than he had been in the beginning, less timid. And he was inventing different ways to explore his lover. He gently traced the tip of his tongue over Byakuya's bottom lip and then across the top one languorously, ending the cycle with a succinct kiss to the upper lip. In the brief moment Ichigo paused, Byakuya powerfully captured those parted lips with his own again. Moaning blissfully, Byakuya deepened the kiss as Ichigo began to reflexively rock his hips into him, stroking his mounting erection with his body.

Enveloped in room full of steam they spent a long time just kissing and grinding in the bath.

Eventually, Ichigo drew back and insisted courageously, "There are things I want to do to you, if you'll let me. But you have to get out of the water."

Byakuya really didn't want to get out of the water, it was much too pleasant. But at the same time Ichigo was being very suggestive and his curiosity was much greater than his desire to sit in the pleasant bathwater. They could come back to that later. He loosened himself from Ichigo's hold and stood up in the bath. Then, he perched himself at the edge of the bath, rear on the cool, but smooth stone floor, legs still dangling in the water at the knee. Ichigo moved in between them, running his hands along his thighs and palming his erection. Byakuya rest back with hands propped behind him and watched as Ichigo leaned in to taste him. Indeed,  _this_  was much more pleasant than sitting in the bath. Ichigo's tongue was hotter than the bath water, his mouth even more so. Byakuya gave a distinct growl of satisfaction. Unable to take his eyes off Ichigo as he swallowed up his hard flesh, Byakuya's eye lids fluttered delightfully as his length slid between lips and teeth and over Ichigo's sweet tongue. His cock gave a sturdy twitch inside of that mouth.

"Ichigo…" Byakuya sighed and reached down to pet over tawny hair.

Ichigo placed his hands along Byakuya's tender inner thighs and spread his legs a little wider, exposing every sensual part of him and nosed into softer flesh. His tongue explored and fingertips pressed into the sensitive nook of his perineum. Byakuya's cock gave a series of excited twitches this time, and Ichigo purred deep in his throat, feeling his own tug of stimulation. His eyes flickered languidly up to Byakuya's face which was flushed by the steam and by what he was doing to him. His cheeks had a moist, rosy hue to them, eyes dark and heavy with arousal. Such a breathtaking sight!

"I could do this to you for hours," Ichigo muffled softly, his face still buried between Byakuya's legs. In his hand Byakuya was rock hard as he stroked him, and then drew a flat tongue up and along the underside to the pink tip. He appeared to nip the head with his teeth with devilment in his eyes, and then flicked his tongue off the end seeping with the bittersweet essence of his lover.

The noble never took his sight off those amber eyes full of yearning and that mouth doing unnameable things to him.

Ichigo was  _so_  good at this, Byakuya thought as he curled his toes in the bathwater. He couldn't stop himself from grasping into Ichigo's hair with one hand and urging him to take him deeper into that hot mouth. Just a little harder—faster. Ichigo was gripping into his thighs hard, fingernails digging into his flesh. His entire length went down that capable throat.  _Oh, gawd…_

Nearly gagging, Ichigo yanked back and sucked in much needed air. His eyes watering, he glared at Byakuya huffily.

His eyes alight with disobedience, "I got carried away," the noble claimed.

"You're not exactly tiny, you know," Ichigo muttered indignantly, panting and wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand.

"But you have such talent," Byakuya assured coyly.

"I'm not buying that. Don't play innocent with me, don't dress it up with flattery," Ichigo chided.

Byakuya could see right through Ichigo and his charming little scowl. "I see. Then how would you like me to play?"

Hmm, Ichigo thought about that. In truth he loved Byakuya's dominating side when they fooled around. Sometimes he was sweet and delicate. Other times he was rough and avaricious. And delightfully often, he was a wonderful mix of both. Ichigo enjoyed the mischievous bantering they sometimes indulged in. It was exciting to pry that side out of Byakuya, and also to discover that he, himself, could be so playful. It was an exceptional form of foreplay that often led to wicked sex, which Ichigo noticed was only getting better each time. But sometimes Ichigo wanted to put Byakuya in his place when he pushed his buttons. And he knew exactly how…

The vizard grinned impishly up at Byakuya who was still looking at him with rare mischief. "I would like if you played the submissive partner tonight," he suggested.

The look of mischief was gone. "What?"

"Oh, come on, Byakuya. I love it when you're on top, but…I just want to know what it feels like at least once. I'll be gentle, I promise," Ichigo murmured, running a hand across the noble's defined chest. His eyes left his lover's and travelled over his body as he touched, enjoying his man's beautiful physique. He smoothed a hand lower, over his abdomen and along the gentle curve of his side. It came to stop at the healing wound under Byakuya's right ribcage and just above the hip. The pad of his fingertip traced gently over the slash mark which was still an angry plum colour, but fully closed. Ichigo thought about how horrible Zero had treated his shinigami, Daiki. The thought of someone doing something like that to Byakuya made his heart hurt.

"I'll never hurt you, Byakuya," Ichigo promised affectionately, returning his gaze to those sensuous cool grey eyes.

Those grey eyes suddenly blazed with mild astonishment.

"What is it?" Ichigo questioned, noticing the change of expression.

"It's nothing," the captain insisted, his voice surprisingly distant.

Ichigo said dejectedly, "You're totally against the idea, huh?"

"No, that's not it."

"Huh? Now I'm confused. What are you talking about?" he pursued.

"It's…it's what you said just now. You said the exact same thing to me in a dream once," Byakuya admitted.

Ichigo blinked. "I asked you for  _that_  in a dream?" he charged, totally astounded.

Byakuya sighed, "No…not  _that_. I meant the last thing you said."

That part where he said he would never hurt him? "Oh," Ichigo sounded thoughtfully. He understood what Byakuya meant, but now he couldn't stop a silly blush that came to his face. "You…you had a dream with  _me_  in it?" he asked bashfully. The very suggestion that Byakuya had dreams about him was beyond flattering and sweet.

"Yes—many," stated the noble shinigami.

"And I said that to you?"

"You did. Word for word," he said. Byakuya had those dreams memorized like lines of Shakespeare.

Just when he didn't think Byakuya could surprise him anymore, he did. Ichigo was touched; he wanted to hear more about these dreams. He drew a lazy fingertip over Byakuya's thigh coyly, "So…what else did I do or say in these dreams?"

Byakuya scoffed softly and said, "Why should I tell you when those dreams are becoming a reality?"

Ichigo stared at Byakuya for a moment. Then he wrapped his arms around his lover's waist and rested his head on his uncovered lap in an awkward hug. He professed softly, "I love you, Byakuya." Gently, a hand came to rest on his head and began to pet over his damp hair.  _That_  had to be the most amazing thing Byakuya could ever say to him.

"I love you too, Ichigo…"

Ok, then there was that, Ichigo thought. He squeezed his shinigami tighter.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Byakuya suddenly charged. It was Byakuya's way of telling Ichigo to seize the opportunity before he changed his mind.

A head of orange hair lifted instantly. "I'll be right back!" Ichigo pledged and climbed out of the bath and nearly ran to the change room. He searched his clothing for the lube and had a hard time trying to stop the grin that was threatening to break out on his face. When he returned, Byakuya was standing next to the bath. He stood there all naked and aloof, watching him coolly behind strands of loose dark hair. His face gave not even the slightest hint of expression, and to Ichigo, it made him appear so human and vulnerable. Ichigo's cock was never harder in his life!

He practically sauntered up to the shinigami captain and ran his fingertips down his cheek gently, "What's with that face? Hmm…?"

Byakuya just studied him with detached steely grey eyes.

"Don't tell me you're nervous? You'll like it. Trust, remember?" Ichigo leaned in and brushed his lips over Byakuya's ear and whispered, "Trust in me..."

Byakuya closed his eyes. Ichigo was right he needed to trust him on this even if he was a little apprehensive about getting penetrated. Though, Ichigo wasn't exactly 'tiny' either. The noble swallowed. All he could say was, "Alright."

Ichigo had to admit he, too, was a little nervous about the situation that was suddenly presented to him. Byakuya was his for the picking.  _Where to start?_  His heart started to hammer, his breath felt hitched. Ichigo reminded himself to follow his instincts. Fingers still on Byakuya's cheek, Ichigo moved around the noble, drawing his fingertips down along the man's throat and over his bare shoulder as he went.

Byakuya stood stock still, arms straight at his sides. Only his eyes followed Ichigo as far as they could go until he came up behind him, his hard cock pressed up against his rear. Fingers brushed aside his hair that resembled a dipped paintbrush, the tips wet from being partly submerged in the water. He felt a pair of lips touch the nape of his neck, pressing tender kisses there. He closed his eyes once more and felt his body begin to respond again, he didn't resist a quiver. Then Ichigo paused and the noble heard a distinct  _click_. Ichigo's lips returned to their kiss-trail under his hairline and two fingers touched him where no other man had ever touched him before.

One finger entered him.

Byakuya squeezed his eyes shut even though he felt no pain. He knew that if this was done right, he'd feel no pain at all. Ichigo began to work his finger gently, ever so gently.

" _Damn_ , you're so warm," Ichigo spoke thickly.

The noble said nothing and focused on this new sensation. The finger moved effortlessly and deeper as it stroked him. It wriggled and Byakuya felt a sudden burst of acute ecstasy. A moan tore past his parted lips.

"Mmm…that's what I want to hear," the vizard murmured, "Feels good, right? You make me feel the same way, Byakuya."

A second finger joined the first. The depth and pace was increased.

"Does that hurt?"

"No…"

"Should I stop?"

"No…"

Ichigo smiled and smoothed his free hand around Byakuya's waist and over the hard flat of his navel. He claimed the captain's hard cock and stroked it while fingering him. Ichigo wanted Byakuya to be on the verge of climax before he entered him. He wanted to get him so hot for it that he wouldn't have room in his head for fretful thoughts.

A third finger was added and Byakuya didn't even know it.

He was being overwhelmed with pleasure on both sides. Byakuya was drowning in sweet ache, sighing and groaning unreservedly.  _Shit!_  How long was Ichigo going torture him like this before he took him? He was getting so close that if Ichigo didn't hurry up it felt like he was going to fall apart. Heightened with pleasure, Ichigo's fingers discovered that spot inside of him again and his whole body jerked involuntarily. Byakuya couldn't hold back, he moaned out again.

"Ah…right there, hmm?" Ichigo murmured and concentrated on that region.

"Ahh... _fuck_ …y-yes…" whimpered Byakuya softly, completely lost in his world of decadent euphoria.

Ho shit! Ichigo thought and bit his lip. He withdrew his slick fingers and urged Byakuya to the closest wall between two leafy plants so he had some support. Ichigo didn't have to say anything; the noble planted his hands on the wall. The vizard came up behind him again, running his hands over the perfect swell of Byakuya's firm, pale ass.

Byakuya was so turned on he took one hand off the wall and touched himself, stroking rhythmically. His lover grabbed him by his hips in a strong grip and urged him to thrust them out a little. Oh yes! He wanted it— _needed_  it!

And Ichigo gave it to him.

Slowly, Ichigo entered the hot, moist darkness and gave a throaty sound of divine pleasure. He cursed passionately. Byakuya's tight body accompanied him perfectly and gave just the right amount of resistance.

"Does it hurt?" Ichigo asked softly, forcing composure for the sake of his stunning virgin lover.

It did a little, but it wasn't enough to concern Byakuya at this point. "Don't stop," he urged.

Nearly the same height, save two inches, Ichigo was perfectly aligned as he began to thrust gently into the soul reaper. He sighed deeply with the sensation, the wicked squeeze on his dick. Rocking into Byakuya with short strokes, Ichigo looked down to watch the action and mewled in chorus along with the Gotei captain. A delicious shudder coursed through him. Byakuya had no idea how beautiful he was right now.

"Harder…"

"Oh fuck," Ichigo bit out avidly at that order and picked up his pace, lengthening his strokes. By the expression on his face, he appeared to be in deep pain. But pain wasn't what he felt.

Incoherent sounds and curses poured from Byakuya's mouth. Unsure if he could hold himself up under this wicked assault, he placed both hands on the wall again, fingers splayed, the tips clawing at the wall as sweet, seraphic thrills coursed throughout him. So good! Yes!  _Oh_ y _es!_

Ichigo no longer worried that he was hurting the noble and thrust even harder, slapping his thighs off Byakuya's backside with every plunge, and bringing himself closer to the edge.

The wave of orgasm struck Byakuya like a crushing hot wave. He cried out his lover's name from parted lips, grasping his pulsing organ and jerking it of every hot drop. His eyes watered with the sweet tears of release that lovers sought.

All it took was hearing his name sung with climatic connotations and Ichigo gave his final thrust, shuddering inside  _and_  outside of Byakuya's body.

Both men breathed in the steamy air as they panted and revelled in their post-sex nirvana.

Byakuya felt his young lover wrap his arms around him and slip out. He closed his eyes and immediately felt absurd that he had worried about playing the submissive partner. It had been simply divine. Turning around he faced the man that he just let fuck him, and he chuckled ever so softly.

Ichigo blinked. "Should I be worried that you're laughing after that?"

"No, you should not," said Byakuya.

"So…it was good then?"

"It was."

Now  _that's_  the third most amazing thing he could ever say to him. Ichigo chortled, too. He took Byakuya's hand and led him back to the bath.


	16. Time's Up

Two months, three weeks and four days later…

Renji wandered into the Sixth Division office a ball of nerves late one summery afternoon. Even though he knew, trusted and had worked with Kuchiki Byakuya all these years, it didn't make what he was about to ask him any easier. When he spotted his captain sitting at his desk with a large stack of paperwork to his left, he expected to find him scribbling away with his pen and a stony look of concentration on his face. Only, what he saw, was a man with his eyes closed peacefully and fingers tapping out a tune he was listening to on his new MP3 player. He had his pen poised for writing in his right hand, but it wasn't doing any scribbling.

Ichigo was sure rubbing off on Byakuya. And it was  _all_  good.

His captain finally seemed to be at peace with past demons, he'd found something that set his world in balance again. And it was evident in his eyes. There was life there, vibrant and alive. It wasn't like Byakuya ran around smiling and laughing, skipping or singing. No, not quite. It was hard to explain. It was just that his eyes didn't look so sad anymore so…distant. Renji never thought he'd see the day—in fact neither did half of Seireitei. And it was all because of one mangy-haired human substitute shinigami. Renji gave a soft snort.

Tickled that he'd caught his captain like this, Renji was momentarily relieved of nerves. He walked up to the front of Byakuya's desk and stood there, hiding his reiatsu well. His finger-tapping captain still failed to sense him. Renji tried not to chortle with amusement and crossed his arms. He waited patiently.

When the song finished and Byakuya finally opened his eyes, he startled, but he didn't show it. He spotted a smug-looking Abarai Renji peering at him, like he'd just caught him stealing Seaweed Ambassador-shaped cookies out of the jar red-handed.

"Welcome back, Taicho," Renji quipped.

Byakuya removed the earphones and set the contraption aside on the desk. He placed his pen into the inkpot and glanced up coolly at his vice-captain with arms resting on the desk top. Just how long had he been standing there? "What do you want, Renji?" he asked calmly.

Suddenly, Renji swallowed hard. A whole emporium of Hell butterflies were set free inside his stomach again. That's right. He was here to ask Byakuya for his blessing to marry his sister, Rukia. He'd promised her last night that he would do it,  _today_. Though, he'd promised her that for the last ten days straight! It was true what they say, talking about it was a lot easier than actually _doing_  it. It wasn't like it was required of him to ask, but he wanted to show his respect to both Rukia and Byakuya. It was the manly thing to do. Waa! But it was like asking Rukia on a date for the first time all over again!

Perhaps, he could warm up to the question if he started with light conversation? He had to try.

"How are you today, Taicho?" Renji asked the first thing that came to mind.

Byakuya gave his vice-captain a suspicious look. "I'm fine," he answered carefully.

"Great weather we're having. Don't you think?"

Now Byakuya sat back in his chair and thought tiredly, here we go again. "It's acceptable."

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Renji…have you come here to simply ask me about the weather?" Byakuya questioned dryly, forcing his chilly front. It wasn't like he didn't know what Renji's predicament was right now, but he'd like to think that if a man wanted to marry his sister bad enough, that one would just have to find the mettle to ask him. He wasn't going to spoon feed him the blessing that he was already willing to give. Sigh. Renji, such a strong man of pure nerve and raw steel, and yet, here he stood a trembling leaf in the wind.

Byakuya made a mental note. This was the fifth time Renji wandered into the office in the same tremulous fashion. It was getting hard to hold back a knowing smirk at this point.

"Um…no, I came here to ask you something else," the redhead claimed.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that our attendance is required this evening in the living world. I'd like to finish this work as soon as possible," expressed the Gotei captain, there was a hint of anticipation in the noble's eye. In truth Byakuya nearly had the days, weeks and hours counted since he last saw Ichigo. One thousand, one hundred and err… sixty-two hours. A little over a month ago in human world time, give or take. He'd only seen him once in the two month span while Ichigo concentrated on his studies and final exams.

Renji's eyes widened. Oh, shit! It was Ichigo's graduation night where he would be given his degree and they were supposed to attend it. And since Ichigo's birthday had come within days of his graduation, the plan was go to the graduation ceremony and then gather with everyone for a small party afterwards! They could celebrate both occasions in one shot. Renji had forgotten while his mind was so wrapped up with his own personal dilemma. "Sure, I haven't forgotten," he fibbed, "But Taicho, we have quite awhile until we have to leave. You must be all excited, huh?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered honestly and cast his eyes aside, "…and no."

"No?" Renji repeated abruptly. Slowly, it dawned on him, "You're worried that Ichigo will choose to stay in the living world."

Byakuya didn't reply. He didn't need to. There was an unspoken bond between Renji and himself, he trusted the man with his life. And once in awhile he trusted him with choice personal undertakings. Renji was well aware of the offer he'd proposed to Ichigo two months ago.

Renji scoffed and planted his hands on the desk abruptly; he looked his captain straight in the eye and said, "A guy like Ichigo always ends up on the winning side. Even if he can't see it yet, he will, so you can't lose."

How insightful, Byakuya gave a small chuff. It was what he needed to hear. Yes, he had to be patient with Ichigo. How flattering of Renji to regard him as the 'winning side', indeed, this man was going to make a fine brother-in-law. Just then, Byakuya thought of something else entirely.

"Renji, I do believe you're the right man to go to regarding a certain matter," Byakuya began, "There is something I need you to assist me with in the living world. You can bring Rukia along…would you mind if we left sooner than planned?"

Tattooed brows rose in surprise by the sudden change of conversation, "Soon? But what about all that paperwork…?"

"I'll work promptly."

"Um…sure, but what kind of 'certain matter' are we talking about?" Renji asked warily.

"The kind I'm sure  _you'll_  approve of," Byakuya claimed with cocksure assurance.

Oh! The captain was plotting something fun and Renji was dying to know what they were going to do! He wanted to run out of here and go tell Rukia the exciting news.

That's right!  _Rukia!_

Renji smiled stupidly all the sudden and backed off from the desk. He stood straight again and thought.  _There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her_. There was nothing that could stop him from trying to be the best partner he could be. He HAD to prove himself and he didn't want to fail in front of Kuchiki Byakuya, at least not again anytime soon.

He blurted, "I would like your blessing to marry, Rukia." Then he bowed respectfully while his heart threatened to explode out of his chest.

The fine brows on Byakuya's face rose in surprise. He finally asked.

The vice-captain was still waiting and the room was getting hotter and stuffier by the second. Why was Byakuya taking so long to answer? Renji was about to panic. "I swear I will be the best husband to her. I'll never let anyone hurt her. I even promised her I'd do the dishes and eat more vegetables. It doesn't get much better than that. Please, just—"

"Renji…" Byakuya interrupted patiently.

Crimson-coloured eyes settled on the floor. "Yes?" Renji said still in his bow.

"The blessing was already yours the first time you came in here to ask for it," Byakuya explained coolly.

The tattoos on Renji's forehead began to stitch together in thought, "It was?"

"Yes."

Then realization settled in a breath later, "Oh!  _Wait…_ you did just give us your blessing, right?"

"If you did not hear me the first time I—"

"—I got it!" Renji cut in happily. Suddenly he could breathe normally again! A cheeky smile found his face. Phew! "Thanks man! I have to go tell Rukia!"

With that Renji was gone and Byakuya didn't even get a chance to ask the man what he thought about career advancement. Oh well, they would have plenty of time for that matter later. Right now, he had to get some work done so he, too, could rush off to see his own lover. His eyes darted despairingly at the paperwork again.

* * *

Ichigo begrudgingly waited for his name to be called so he could walk up on stage and accept his degree. He wouldn't have even bothered coming to one of these ridiculous ceremonies, but Ishida and Keigo told him not to be such a wet blanket, that this sort of achievement only happened once. Ichigo didn't like being called a wet blanket! It just so happened that Ishida and Keigo were behind him in the queue, graduating from their respective programs as well. All three of them were decked out in sharp looking suits. Unsettled nerves gripped Ichigo's stomach; he didn't like stages while everyone out in the auditorium was going to have their eyes on him. This was no battle, where being center stage didn't bother him at all then, this was different. Not only was his whole family here tonight, but so were Rukia and Renji  _and_  Byakuya...

He'd gotten a message via Hell butterfly, that Byakuya would be 'honoured to attend his graduation' when Ichigo gave him his own message that he was attending his graduation ceremony. Ichigo smiled softly, he'd actually gotten many messenger butterflies from Byakuya over the last two months. Some were simply sent to say 'hello' and others to say that he missed him. Once, the captain even sent a message wishing him pleasant dreams. Who knew that Byakuya could be such a romantic? The enigma he once labelled Byakuya as was a proven fact. There were so many facets to that man that it kept Ichigo guessing all the time and it kept him on his toes. What fun it will be to discover all his quirks! Man…he really missed him. In the two months since they fought Zero, he'd only seen his Byakuya once.  _Once!_  And it drove him crazy.

Guess there was something to be said about absence making hearts grow fonder.

But even though he missed Byakuya like crazy, he still wasn't sure what the right thing to do was. His time was up. Byakuya was expecting an answer from him. Should he leave his human life behind and be with Byakuya always, or have a long distance relationship? Could he even use the term 'long distance' when associating it with Soul Society and Earth? He shook his head unsure. But if he chose to stay in the living world and loved Byakuya from afar, he'd grow old while Byakuya would not age at the same pace. Somehow it seemed ridiculous to make Byakuya wait for him until he died of old age, or if he died for any other reason that he could not foresee. There could be other Zero's in the future for all he knew. There were always new obstacles to overcome...

"He's daydreaming again," Keigo voiced loud enough for the entire group waiting for their names to hear.

Ishida waved a hand in front of Ichigo's face. "Hey! We're next, wake up," Ishida ordered his friend.

Amber eyes came into focus, Ichigo blinked, "Huh?"

"He said your sister has run off with the circus performer and they're getting married in Vegas," Keigo joked and began to laugh hysterically at his own joke.

Ichigo glared at Keigo. He reproved, "That wasn't funny."

Keigo sighed.  _Fail!_

"So, I hear we're all going to meet up for a party at that karaoke bar," Ishida said.

Along with Byakuya's message claiming he would be attending this ceremony, he also stated that he thought it would be appropriate to celebrate his birthday. "Yeah, I'm surprised Byakuya was the one that suggested it in the first place," Ichigo explained, chuckling.

"He just wants to kick our butts again in billiards," the Quincy claimed with a sniff.

Probably, Ichigo thought knowingly, and that was so kickass!

Their conversation was cut off when Ichigo's name was called. Outside he appeared cool and collected as he crossed the stage and took his degree after shaking the dean's hand. Briefly, his eyes landed on the people in the third row on his right. There was his father wiping his eyes with a hankie, his sisters who were both dressed so pretty tonight and smiling proudly at him and waving, Rukia whose eyes were alight with glee and happiness as she held up her left hand to show off an engagement ring, and Renji who was prodding Byakuya's shoulder with one hand and visibly pointing at him on stage with the other.

"Woo! Way to go, Ichigo!" Renji cheered and gave a few ear-piercing wolf whistles.

But Ichigo didn't hear a thing. His eyes were on his Byakuya, and he kept them there for an extra heartbeat. The nervous feeling of being on stage was replaced with that jittery rush of exhilaration every time he saw him. At least now he wasn't blushing about it.

* * *

The university-catering karaoke bar was packed with fellow grad students. The music was hoppin', the drinks were flowing, and the noise was cacophonous.

Piled into the backroom were Ichigo and his friends. Most of them were in their happy place either playing pool, chatting and downing alcohol in the enclosed area while listening to fanatical karaoke singers. Even a few others from Soul Society joined them, Toshiro, Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika. They were in gigai too, and were the few people here tonight wearing regular stylish street clothes since most of the grads were still in suits or nice dresses. Rangiku and Inoue had dragged Toshiro out on the dance floor. Kon was in Inoue's clutches and in seventh heaven now, but he wasn't earlier because Yuzu had actually brought him with her to the graduation ceremony. He pleaded with Ichigo to save him and found himself dragged off to this place with everyone. For once Kon thought Ichigo could be a REAL pal! Ishida, Keigo and Chad sat on tall chairs in a corner watching the game. Renji was getting more drinks and Yumichika was leaning up against the back wall, next to an old poster that read " _BOHAHAHAHA!"_ with a picture of Don Kanonji flashing his pearly whites and making a peace sign with his fingers.

Mildly buzzed on beer, Ichigo and Rukia, who was wearing a very pretty light yellow dress, stood at the other end of the pool table and watched Byakuya pawning Ikkaku Madarame in eight-ball. The bald-headed shinigami was clearly aggravated. Rukia couldn't help but snicker about the game. She and Ichigo tossed each other a mischievous, knowing grin. Byakuya was sharking the poor guy.

"Thanks, Ichigo," Rukia said loud enough for him to hear.

Ichigo halted the beer bottle that was half way to his mouth, "For what?" he asked Rukia, puzzled.

"For this party," she answered.

Chuffing thoughtfully, Ichigo shook his head. "Nah, don't thank me, Rukia. This was his idea," he said and pointed with top of his beer bottle at her brother. He nudged her arm with his elbow playfully, "So, it looks like I'll be attending a wedding soon, huh?"

Rukia smiled and looked at the ring on her finger again. "Yes. In six months," she replied excitedly.

"That's cool. I'm really happy for you guys," Ichigo praised, "But I guess that means you'll have to stop hanging out in my closet. Married women shouldn't sleep in other guys' closets." He chuckled. A sudden flash of worry appeared in her eyes, and Ichigo caught it. "What's the matter?" he questioned.

Dark blue eyes looked up at him seriously, "Ichigo, I…I thought that you would…"

Sighing, Ichigo knew what she was going to say before she could say it. "I just don't know what I should do. I know it's not like I'd be leaving here for good, but at the same time it's like...it's like I'd be jumping off a bridge. I know he's serious and what he's willing to risk, but I dunno if I want to cause him that trouble, Rukia."

Tiny eyebrows were stitched together.  _"Ichigo,"_  Rukia all but snapped, " _He_  has already dealt with 'that trouble'—he's handling it his way. He doesn't want you to worry about that stuff, he told me so. But  _I'm_  telling you, Nii-sama can be very persuasive on matters he believes in, trust him. No matter what you decide, don't dishonour his decisions and conduct with the Kuchiki clan by means of your doubts…he needs your support. He doesn't need your pity."

Now Ichigo took a long haul off his beer and sighed. So no matter what, his relationship with Byakuya brought out his clan's judgment and opposition. Byakuya told him that would happen, but Rukia was right. Byakuya didn't need his sympathy, nor his fears, or worries on the matter. What his noble lover needed was his support. He needed Ichigo to stand tall and dignified next to him. Byakuya needed to know just how proud Ichigo was to simply be with him and for him to proudly display that on his face. Ichigo thought about that.  _Damn right!_  He was proud of and proud to be with Byakuya. Ichigo understood now what Rukia was trying to say. He would not let Byakuya down.

Ichigo put his bottle down and beamed at Rukia now. "Thanks for that knock in the head," he told her.

Rukia looked satisfied, and Renji returned with more drinks. He placed them on the table to Ichigo's left.

"Hey guys did ya miss me?" the spiky redhead teased and draped his arm around Rukia's shoulders, snugging her close to his side.

The group gave a sudden loud cheer. Ichigo, Renji and Rukia glanced over at the pool table and the players. Ichigo knew that tell-tale look of coolness on Byakuya's apathetic face, he'd won but was reserved enough not to gloat on the outside. He was standing there all straight and tall, cool and aloof, holding his cue like a staff and looking down right sexy in his fitted black tuxedo. He glanced over at Ichigo. The corner of Ichigo's mouth turned up mildly with a lop-sided smirk and he gave Byakuya a thumbs up. Ikkaku Madarame never stood a chance.

Even though he won and was set to take on the next victim, err…opponent, Byakuya handed his cue to Chad and stepped out of the game. His mind really wasn't on billiards tonight, it was on Ichigo. He hadn't seen Ichigo in so long that all he really wanted was to get out of here so they could be alone. He walked over, next to Ichigo, and picked up his high-ball of gin and tonic off the tall table, enjoying a small sip over the clinking ice as Ichigo watched him devotedly. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I have eyes only for you tonight," Ichigo told him, catching Byakuya's observant stare.

Renji nearly choked on his drink, and Rukia giggled.

Byakuya eyed him arrogantly, "So I've noticed."

"I've missed you, you know."

"I know—same here."

"I mean a lot…"

Byakuya huffed. "A lot?" he repeated, playing along.

" _A lot,"_  Ichigo emphasized.

They scoffed at their stupid game.

"You know what? Have I told you that there is just something about the fact that you kick so much ass in pool, that it kinda turns me on?"

There was a lively glint in the noble's eye, "No, you haven't mentioned that."

"Well, I'm telling you now," Ichigo assured cockily and sipped his beer, eyes never leaving Byakuya's, "You have to explain to me how you became a pool shark."

Leisurely drifting his eyes over Ichigo who looked so dashing in his black suit, crisp white shirt and his black tie, with his shock of orange hair that brought Byakuya's eyes back to his face, he whispered, "Come home with me and I'll show you."

At that Ichigo's eyes shifted aside guiltily.

Patience, Byakuya reminded himself. Be patient. However, he wasn't going to be patient about Ichigo's birthday present. He was going to wait until after the party, but Byakuya didn't want to wait any longer. Leaning over, his cheek nearly brushed up against Ichigo's, Byakuya spoke softly into Ichigo's ear, "Happy Birthday my love."

Ichigo wanted to nuzzle up against that face and bury his nose into the warm nook of Byakuya's neck. He breathed in his scent and replied quietly, "It was my birthday five days ago. You already told me that."

"I know, but doesn't a birthday wish normally precede a gift offering?" the noble said matter-of-factly.

Next to Ichigo's other ear something  _jingled_.

The vizard's whole body went numb. "You didn't," Ichigo breathed, pulling back. He glanced to his left where two keys jangled on a silver ring that Byakuya held up on his index finger.

"Oh, but I did."

" _No way!"_  Ichigo clamoured suddenly, startling Byakuya, "I thought you were totally messing with me about that. Wait...you're getting your shits and giggles right now, aren't you? This is a dream and  _you_  are teasing me."

Everyone looked over at Ichigo's outburst.

Renji was grinning widely and chuckling loudly. When his taicho revealed earlier what he was planning on getting Ichigo for his birthday, bringing him to a motorcycle shop in the real world, Renji nearly busted something internally. Damn, Ichigo was one lucky dude.

"Tch, have you learned nothing, Ichigo?" Byakuya came back with sadly.

"I know, I know…insincerity is not a quality you admire," Ichigo repeated his lover's words, "But…but…" He didn't know what else to say.

"Hold out your hand," Byakuya instructed.

Ichigo did so and Byakuya set the keys gently onto his palm.

Amber eyes studied the keys like they were magical beans. Blinking, Ichigo noticed something, "Why are there two keys?"

"Motorcycle lessons commence as soon as possible," the Captain of the Sixth reminded him evenly.

Ichigo simply gaped at Byakuya.

"You'll find the motorbikes parked in the driveway when you get home, I had Renji help me pick them out. I feared bringing them here would be a mistake with all the alcohol consumption. We can go see them later," Byakuya explained as Ichigo stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. "It's quite alright to speak now," he assured.

But Ichigo couldn't speak. Around him everything and everyone failed to exist, except for the man standing in front of him, the man he'd fallen in love with, the man that just gave him a motorcycle for his birthday! Unable to stop himself, Ichigo pressed a quick kiss to Byakuya's lips.

The chattering around the pool table died like a Hollow.

"See, I told you it wasn't so unbeautiful," Yumichika claimed once more.

Just at that moment Inoue, Rangiku and Toshiro returned from the dance floor. The icy captain of the tenth glanced around for an escape route.

"Ack! Someone please rip out my eyes!" wailed Kon from Inoue's clutches, spotting Ichigo and Byakuya.

Byakuya pulled away from the kiss when he heard Kon's bothersome shrill, it was his turn to blush this time. He turned his back coolly on everyone and took a big swallow of his drink. He hadn't expected Ichigo to kiss him in front of everyone! Even though everyone knew of their relationship, and he didn't care that they knew. Still, he preferred to keep his sex life private. And that included kissing! Perhaps he should have waited until after the party to reveal his birthday surprise to Ichigo.

Ichigo could only chuckle good-naturedly at Byakuya's chagrin. If he was supposed to show his pride over the matter of their relationship, then sharing one little kiss in front of their friends wouldn't hurt anyone. Besides, he was still much too happy about his birthday present to think rationally, and the beer had given him a little liquid courage.

Inoue seemed unfazed, "Kuchiki-sama? I have a request."

Oh? Byakuya turned around, his face a normal colour again, "What is it?"

"I was telling Rangiku-san and Toshiro-kun what an amazing singer you are. We think you should do karaoke again," she said hopefully, putting on her best innocent face.

The Captain of the Tenth caught a skeptical look from his voluptuous vice-captain. Their look said: they'd have to see it to believe it.

Byakuya sighed and resisted a groan. He heard  _all_  about his modified soul's brush with karaoke fame from Rukia, Ichigo, and Renji. Oh yes, they told him. They told him a  _few_  times, he thought dryly. "I think not. Besides, that was not me," he told them in weary monotone.

"You're wasting your time, Inoue-san," Rangiku alleged and changed tactics. "I'm sure that plushie you're holding can sing better than Kuchiki-taicho anyways," she taunted, patting Kon on the head sweetly.

The Sixth Division captain frowned at that. There was no way that Ichigo's annoying mod soul was better than him at anything!

Inoue told Rangiku thoughtfully, "Gee, I dunno what Kon sounds like when he sings. But Kuchiki-sama was  _really_  good...you have to believe me."

Rangiku waved a hand languidly, "Sure, whatever you say, darlin'."

Byakuya sniffed and glanced at his sister who appeared to be holding back a fit of giggles. "Rukia..." he reproved.

"I'm sorry nii-sama, but I can't help it," she choked, "You should have seen yourself on stage that time it was..." she twittered, "...priceless."

"Again, you  _know_  that was not me," he reminded the group more hotly this time.

"Which is why it couldn't hurt to let your mod soul perform again," reasoned Renji. He couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon, "Take one for the team, Taicho!"

"This discussion should stop," Byakuya insisted frostily.

Yumichika wandered over and asked disbelievingly, "Are you guys saying Kuchiki-taicho actually did karaoke here once?"

Byakuya flashed him a malevolent glare that could bulldoze buildings and refreeze polar icecaps.

The man with the red and yellow eye decoration remained vigilant. His captain was a lot scarier than Kuchiki Byakuya could ever be. "Sorry, but I just can't believe it!" He began to laugh airily.

They'd all pushed one too many buttons of Byakuya's, "I said that was not me!"

No one was listening to Byakuya.

Chad looked up from his shot and said, "That show was...different."

"'Different' is an understatement," Ishida proclaimed, pushing up his glasses.

Byakuya probably didn't know it, but he was part of the group now whether he liked it or not. Ichigo, who had been listening to this, was trying so hard not to howl with laughter.

An evil idea came to Byakuya's mind. If they really wanted to see his mod soul sing again, then he wasn't going to do it alone. "Ichigo..." Byakuya started coolly, settling grey eyes on the vizard, "I'll allow my mod soul to make an ass of himself on one condition..."

Ichigo blinked, "So, why are you looking at me?" He wasn't sure he liked the sound of this.

"...your mod soul sings, too."

Kon perked up at this. "I'm in! Oh-ho- _ho!_  Do you hear that ladies? I'll be a free bird soon! Wait for me!"

A deadpanned look overcame Ichigo's face. "Wha...?" He looked away shyly, "I'm not really the singing type."

Byakuya looked incredulous,  _"And I am?"_

"Well..." Ichigo started, "No...I guess not." It wasn't like it was really them going to sing karaoke, but it still looked like them.

Rangiku yawned with impatience. She had her own idea! "Well, if they are too chicken to do it, how about you and me, Taicho?"

Toshiro Hitsugaya scowled, "Not a chance!"

Rangiku shrugged. Oh well, she tried.

Ichigo sighed and plucked Kon out of Inoue's hands. He dug out the mod soul pill from inside the plushie. "Then I have a condition for you, Byakuya," Ichigo countered, holding his soul candy hostage between his fingers.

"Oh?"

"We get the hell out of here," Ichigo claimed.

"That's the sanest thing I've heard all evening," Byakuya claimed superciliously.

Ichigo and Byakuya both swallowed their little green spheres and stepped out of their human and gigai bodies as soul reapers.

Byakuya gave his mod soul a pathetic look. How depressing, the representation of himself appeared much too buoyant and reckless for his taste. Still, there was something about this mod soul...he couldn't bear to give it back to Urahara and demand a refund. Perhaps, it was the freedom this modified soul sought, and Byakuya didn't think he could be the guy to take that away from him. However, he better be grateful, because  _this_  wasn't going to become a common occurrence.

Kon, who was now inside Ichigo's human body, gave Byakuya's mod soul a dubious look. "So, I hear you can sing?" he asked with provocation.

The Byakuya look-alike was checking out his tuxedo cheerfully. "Nice choice, I feel like a million bucks!" he praised and looked up at Kon. "Tch, of course I can sing. The ladies love me!" he exclaimed proudly, running a hand through his raven locks, "You can call me, Yuki."

Kon's eyes widened mischievously and he grinned, "Yuki, I think you and I will get along just fine," he replied knowingly, placing a friendly arm over the other mod's shoulders. Forgetting everyone else, they began to wander off, instant pals.

But before they could get away, Byakuya reached out and latched onto his mod soul's suit jacket with his hand, hauling him back. He gave him a daunting, cold warning, "If you even think of being put to use again, you will keep your clothes  _on_  this time. Is that clear?"

Byakuya's mod soul turned around and winked at him, "You got it!"

* * *

After the insanity at the karaoke bar, and the hype of checking out the new motorcycles, Byakuya and Ichigo took off in shunpo to their favourite place in Karakura Town.

The escarpment overlooking the city...

But they weren't actually viewing the spectacle; they were too busy viewing each other. A whole month away from each other felt like a hundred years. And they wanted to spend a little quality time together before Byakuya returned to Soul Society. After all, he had a lot of work waiting for him, and there was a captain's meeting in the morning.

Ichigo gently drew his fingertips over the crisp material of Byakuya's haori. They said nothing at the moment. Byakuya took Ichigo's hand in his own and brought it to his lips where he pressed three warm kisses sweetly to the back of his curled fingers. Then he let go of his hand and brushed the backs of his own fingers over Ichigo's cheek lovingly before leaning in to give him a soft kiss.

Ichigo sighed and wrapped his arms around the death god, kissing him back just as softly.

After a few moments, Byakuya pulled back but he didn't disconnect from their embrace. He had a question that he needed answered, a question that had been nagging him all evening, "Have you come to a decision about what we discussed?"

The vizard tensed and gripped onto the noble a little tighter, he spoke over his shoulder, "I...I'm still not sure."

Byakuya pet over Ichigo's hair as he held him. He remained silent.

"You're upset, aren't you?"

"No. I told you there is no rush. I'll respect whatever decision you make."

Ichigo didn't believe him. "It's not like I don't want to be with you," he told Byakuya earnestly, "Besides, what will I do there?"

"Join the Gotei Thirteen," Byakuya suggested, "You would be a great addition."

"Ya know, as much as I whine sometimes about being a 'substitute' I'm not really serious. I kind of like working on the sidelines independently. I don't need to have a rank to prove my worth—I hope you understand that I'm not knocking you or anything. It's just who I am. I might change my mind one day." Ichigo took a deep breath, and then exhaled into a soft curtain of dark hair in front of his face as he held onto his lover tightly. "If I tell you something, promise not to laugh at me," he asked warily.

"I promise I won't laugh at you. What is it?" the noble urged.

"Well...I thought that if I were ever to live in Soul Society that I might like to train at the Academy."

Byakuya looked puzzled as he enjoyed the softness of Ichigo's hair between his fingers, "Train? You know that's not necessary."

Ichigo chuffed and loosened from Byakuya's hold, taking a step back so he could see the face of the person he was talking to. "I don't mean become a student there...I mean instruct there. Maybe become an academy counsellor as well or something. Do they have those there?"

A mild look of surprise claimed Byakuya's face, "Of course they do. I must admit, Ichigo, I wouldn't have thought of that route."

"Why? Are Academy teachers looked down upon from a noble's standpoint?" Ichigo wondered, "Would I just end up embarrassing you or your clan?"

"Nonsense," Byakuya reprimanded softly.

Ichigo gave a weak smile. He wasn't sure if Byakuya was just trying to make him feel better or what. But he certainly didn't laugh at the suggestion of teaching at the Academy, "Sorry, but as I said before, sometimes I don't get all that noble shit."

Byakuya scoffed. "You'll learn quickly I expect," he said.

Yes, yes he would, Ichigo imagined. And he would only do it for Byakuya. "I would be good at Hakuda or Zanjustu training, huh?"

"I believe so—Hakuda especially."

It was something that Ichigo had been thinking about since the last time he was in Soul Society. He wondered what the hell he'd do if he decided to stay there with Byakuya. He thought he might like to put his human world education to good use in Soul Society, maybe even find a way to improve Rukongai's most depressing districts. Because to him that place didn't seem like the perfect vision of heaven, and those people deserved just as much protection as the rest of Soul Society he believed. He'd find a way.

Anyways, there was no way he wanted to become some kind of dotting boyfriend, some kind of housewife that lived in the big Kuchiki mansion. Becoming an addition to all the other collections inside, waiting for his man to come home each day so he could wash his feet or iron his  _shihakusho_. Hell no!  _Gawd!_ Ichigo gave a loud snort.  _The Substitute Shinigami Housewife!_

The Sixth Division Captain narrowed his eyes at the sound that Ichigo made, "What?"

"Don't ask," Ichigo claimed incredulously, rubbing a hand over his face, "Just don't ask."


	17. Mine

Saying goodbye to Byakuya and watching him leave behind the closing doors of the senkaimon was one of the hardest things Ichigo ever had to do. Byakuya hadn't even turned around once to look back at him, not once! Sigh. Departing didn't feel this hard after dealing with Zero, or when Byakuya's break was finished and Ichigo had to return to the human world,  _or_  even a month ago when he'd broken down in the middle of exam study in need to feel his shinigami lover and have him rock his world. Maybe it was harder this time because they parted not knowing when they'd see each other again, and with Ichigo still in an indeterminate state about their future. He didn't know it was going to hurt this much either. It didn't help that Byakuya was wearing that frosty look on his face as fiercely as ever before, but Ichigo knew by now that he was only putting on a brave front, once again safeguarding his vulnerabilities. Byakuya acted as if it was no big deal that he still hadn't made up his mind, but Ichigo knew he was bluffing. That look he saw when they said goodbye a week ago was heartbreaking...

A week! It already felt like months! Eons!

Ichigo was spiralling in a state of frustration and misery. He was conflicted about what he wanted. Ichigo knew that the only reason he felt this conflict was because he cared for Byakuya in a way he never cared for anyone else. Byakuya's happiness and his own for once, was actually important to him. The noble didn't want to pressure him, he knew that. But he also knew that the harder Byakuya tried to sound detached and uncaring, the more concerned he was about the situation that bothered him. Byakuya wouldn't admit that all he wanted was for them to be together. And somehow being together, but living apart, didn't seem like it was good enough to Ichigo. He was an honourable man. Ichigo couldn't help but feel guilty that Byakuya was putting his noble reputation on the line for him while he sat here and twiddled his thumbs.

Grr!  _Why was this so hard?_

The vizard sighed as he lay on his bed in a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt with his hands fisted by his side, thinking about all of this. How long did he make Byakuya wait? And how long would Byakuya wait for him...?

Man... Was this what happened when you fell in love with someone? When all you wanted was to be with that person? Was it supposed to be this painful and frustrating?

Ichigo reached behind him and yanked his pillow out from under his head and threw it out of sheer frustration, which landed  _smack_  in his father's face.

"Hey!" whined Isshin Kurosaki, plucking the pillow from his face, "What was that for?"

Startled, Ichigo scrambled into a sitting position. "Dad? I didn't even know you came in. Why don't you try knocking?" he voiced grumpily.

Isshin frowned and threw the pillow back at Ichigo, only his son dodged it and it hit the wall and slid to the floor, "I did knock, but I guess someone is too busy in  _here_ ," he said, pointing to his noggin with his index finger. "We've been calling you to come down for dinner. I came to see if you were actually home."

Oh. The sour look on Ichigo's face dissipated, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to actually throw the pillow at you. You just...got in the way."

Isshin stood there and crossed his arms across this yellow button-up shirt, "Come on. Come down for dinner."

"I'm not really hungry..." Ichigo grumbled and turned over to lie on his stomach, head resting on his arms without his pillow. He released another heavy sigh.

His father murmured, "I guess you leave me no choice then."

Ichigo didn't know what his father meant by that but he soon found out!

_The old man sat on him!_

The orange-haired shinigami wailed, "Get your old-man ass off of me!" He struggled, but his father was a hell of a lot stronger. Ichigo was pinned to the bed, with the weight of his father on his back.

"Nope, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what your problem is," the older Kurosaki claimed calmly, one hand keeping Ichigo's head down on the bed.

Ichigo tried to struggle a bit more, but deemed it useless. He couldn't shake his father off. "Problem about what?" he charged. Of course he knew what his father was talking about, but he thought he wouldn't bother him about that unless he was  _really_  going to leave home for good.

"Oh, I'm sure you know, Ichigo. What? Did you forget that I can read spiritual pressure, too? I'm actually pretty good at it."

Ichigo sighed again.

"That's right, Ichigo," Isshin sing-songed. "So, what's your problem? Why all this mopping, and sighing, and groaning stuff? It's pathetic. You know I might be able to help, try me."

"You wouldn't understand," he muttered.

"I wouldn't, huh? I wouldn't know anything about love and sacrifice?" Isshin replied sarcastically.

It took a long time for Ichigo to respond to that. He knew his father had his own experience with something similar. But Ichigo was worried about letting his father down by actually admitting he was in love with a man. How does one tell that to a parent, exactly? "Aren't you upset with me? Disappointed?" he wondered before he could even think to trust seeking advice from his father.

"Remember that day at your mother's grave a long time ago? I told you to live to the fullest, and if possible, die with a smile. Have you forgotten all that? As long as you're happy my son, I'm happy!"

"Yeah... But you also told me to 'age to the fullest' and to die long after you. What I'm thinking about contradicts all those things!" he told his father exasperatedly.

"So you've entertained thoughts of flying the coop, huh? Thinking of leaving home?" Isshin expressed lightly, "Well, it's about time!"

"You're not helping, dad!" Ichigo complained discordantly.

Isshin just sat there complacently. He'd wait as long as it took until Ichigo spilled the beans.

Ichigo was getting irritated. "I'm in love with someone!" he finally confessed.

"Yeah...and?"

"He wants me to live with him..."

"So the problem is...?"

"It's in Soul Society you moron!"

"Hmm, I guess that means you'd have to make your own sacrifice," Isshin replied.

"Huh?"

His father sighed, "Ichigo, when I fell in love with your mother I knew that all my decisions thereafter were the right choices. And you know my story; you know I gave up being a shinigami for her. I became human! Do you know  _why_  it was so easy to do that? Because life would have meant absolutely nothing without her..."

Ichigo stayed silent.

"I told you that I want you to live the life that is destined for you, and that I would always be on your side. You can't worry about everyone else all the time or you'll end up miserable and alone. There's nothing wrong with seeking out your own happiness, Ichigo. You deserve to have that, too. But, what you have to ask yourself is, what would your life mean if you couldn't be with the person you love? Does that noble mean that much to you?"

The first thing that came to Ichigo's mind was what Byakuya said to him on the night they confessed feelings for each other on his rooftop,  _'Until you came along…I was dead inside.'_  Then he thought of the final battle with Zero, where he'd almost lost Byakuya and it was his fault. Ichigo remembered that sickening feeling swirling in his stomach, that numbing panic he felt when he thought he might lose him. He went mad. If he'd lost Byakuya that night he was sure that all the life in him would have drained from his body and seeped into the earth under his feet. He'd be empty. He'd be the one that was dead inside.

"He does. I don't think my life would mean anything without him," Ichigo admitted to himself quietly.

Isshin gave an affirmative sound, "Well then, I think you've made your choice." He got off his son and stood up.

Ichigo groaned with relief and began to push himself up; only his father gave him a nice elbow between the shoulders blades. Ichigo writhed in pain, "Bastard!"

"You've finally gone and grown up on me. Never thought you'd move out," Isshin said in his fatherly way. "You see, you'll live much longer than me now, and that's good. I'm kind of jealous; it'll take quite some time for you to actually get a grey hair." He left the room peacefully, his laughter following him downstairs.

Ichigo made a thoughtful sound and whispered, "Thanks...Dad."

* * *

The Calligraphy Club was in full session one sunny, warm weekend afternoon in the Kuchiki manor.

Ukitake Jushiro, Unohana Retsu and Renji Abarai sat in a large bare room in front of their long sheet of mulberry paper, brushing a haiku that Byakuya had demonstrated for them in the more advanced style  _gyousho_ —semi-cursive script.

The haiku read...

 _To be a leader,_  
One must first dream then act out,  
fulfillment is yours.

The room was quiet, except for a few low curses Renji muttered as he suffered through another session of calligraphy, but Byakuya didn't mind. At least his vice-captain, or soon to be Captain of the Third Division, gave a valiant effort. It was always calming to practice his calligraphy with people that were not only his comrades, but his friends. He looked over to watch everyone's efforts. Ukitake was nearly as good at this art as he was, given he'd been practicing much, much longer, but his style was much softer than his. His cursive was sometimes illegible, but it was pretty nonetheless, and it wasn't against the rules of the art. Unohana's script was feathery and almost dainty, but much more precise and legible. Renji, well...he was coming along, but his strokes were still too hard pressed for  _gyousho_ , he was much better at the  _kaisho_  style.

It was nearing break time; soon they would stop and have some tea while discussing more ideas for another haiku or a poem to create based on the theme today—leadership. Surprisingly, it was Renji that had suggested today's inspirational theme. Byakuya was really pleased. However, this haiku today was written with Ichigo in mind and his own personal experience. He knew now that following his dream made him an even stronger leader, because real leaders went by their instincts, their hearts, and he did. Only he wasn't quite sure if that dream was fulfilled yet, Ichigo was not here with him. Byakuya knew he'd acted, he'd done all that he was able to, but there was still a gap of uncertainty, that distance. The calligraphy group had no idea. Sure he'd heard the gossip going around Seireitei; sometimes it was painful and damn right irritating when he overheard whisperings about Ichigo forfeiting love and life in Soul Society with him in favour of his human life. He got a few more stares these days than usual, but Byakuya shut them all out. He was good at that.

However, there was a dull ache in his chest that wouldn't loosen its grip, a pang of longing. Sigh. Ichigo...  _When will I see you again?_

Byakuya appeared to be watching his friends work peacefully, but behind his eyes he saw something else. Byakuya was remembering that day in Ichigo's art class, those mouthy girls making rude comments. Oh yes, he heard them but he couldn't be bothered with such nonsense. He knew why Ichigo had made a mess of his ink; he had been eavesdropping on those girls and not paying attention. Byakuya could still see the look on Ichigo's face when he realized he ruined his pool of ink. And his hands—ghastly purple...

Completely unaware, Byakuya gave a sniff of amusement.

Ukitake, Unohana and Renji looked up in unison from their assignment to glance curiously at their instructor. It didn't seem as if the captain had even noticed they were looking at him, he appeared to be elsewhere in mind.

Unohana smiled coyly to herself and went to continue her work, a little daydreaming was healthy, and she was sure she was knew  _who_  Byakuya daydreaming about. Everyone knew! HA! It was pleasant to see him this way, to see that impenetrable wall he'd built up around himself finally grow old and begin to crumble. Ukitake was no fool either and was reminded of how correct Shunsui was with his phenomenal romance radar skills. And let's just say Renji was getting used to his captain's faraway look lately.

Blinking himself back to the present, Byakuya realized he almost touched the wet end of his brush to his clothing. He would make the servant lady, Noriko-san, cross at him if she were to be handed an ink stain on his haori to deal with. She used to  _always_  be out of sorts with him, he recalled wryly. She'd been working at the Kuchiki manor since his youth, where he would receive tongue-clucks from her every time she gathered his dirty clothes that often had grass, mud, sap, burrs, even blood stains from vigorous training or horsing around with Yoruichi. He righted the brush in his hand.

"Don't tell me I'm late for my first lesson?"

Byakuya's head darted up in astonishment, subsequently dropping his brush on his white haori, which then landed with a  _tick_  to the floor when he saw who it was. So much for avoiding ink stains...

Everyone was mildly surprised to see Ichigo standing at the entrance of the room. He was dressed in his shinigami uniform, minus Zangetsu who was currently hanging out in the hallway with Kon, who had a big strip of duct tape over his mouth.

"Ichigo," Byakuya said pointedly.

"Hey there, Byakuya—guys," Ichigo said to everyone cheerfully, but settled affectionate eyes back on Byakuya. "Is this a bad time?" he asked, his face settling into a worried frown.

"No, we were about to take a break," Byakuya offered in his even way, "If you want you may join. Although, I suggest you observe the rest of this lesson...it might be a little advanced for you."

"No kidding..." Renji muttered dispiritedly under his breath.

Ichigo gave a tiny smirk at Renji's comment, "Alright, as long as you don't mind. I'm in no rush...I've got plenty of time."

Byakuya shot Ichigo a staggered look, cool grey eyes piercing.

Oh, that got his attention, Ichigo thought smugly. It was something Byakuya had said to him once, and the expression on his lover's face simply warmed the vizard's heart. He walked over, "Tsk, Byakuya. You're picking up my bad habits," Ichigo teased about the ink stain and picked the calligraphy brush up off the floor. He set it gently back on the inkstone next to Byakuya, and then he took a kneeling position opposite of the demonstration Byakuya created, across from Ukitake, Unohana and Renji.

"How nice of you to join us, Kurosaki-san," Unohana said pleasantly, and then cast a demure glance with her blue eyes at Byakuya. Was it her? Or did it seem as if there was more being said then what was actually being spoken out loud between them? What did it mean? She glanced over at Ukitake and he gave her a brilliant smile, his eyes alight with mirth and knowing.

"Are you just here for a visit?" Ukitake wondered easily, investigating his own suspicions.

Ichigo looked over at the gentle Captain of the Thirteenth Division. He answered, "Hmm, I think I might stay a while."

Renji's tattooed eyebrows rose at that. He knew the situation between Ichigo and his future brother-in-law. "Fantastic!" he exclaimed, "Isn't that great, Taicho?"

Byakuya didn't answer and brought his stare to his haiku poem, remaining silent.

An attendant entered the room and carried with him a tea service. From covert whispers passed on by the Kuchiki manor servants, he'd added an additional cup for Ichigo. Quietly, he set the tray down that was situated on a low-raised table and then he bowed, leaving the room just as silently.

Ichigo took charge of pouring the tea and passing it around.

He listened half-heartedly at the calligraphy discussion that ensued, periodically glancing over at Byakuya who seemed to find his composure, but he noticed he let the others do most of the talking. What a hard-ass, Ichigo thought with amusement. Byakuya really did have control of steel when he wanted to be professional and set his noble examples. Ichigo knew it was important to him because his calligraphy group was here. But there was a moment just before Byakuya began demonstrating again that his brush lightly trembled and he had to prop his wrist with his other hand before he could continue.

Ichigo caught a look of concern from Renji as he watched his captain carefully. The orange-haired shinigami then caught a quick glance from Byakuya who was trying to keep it together. He suddenly felt a really guilty for bursting in on his club with his startling revelation, not thinking that it was going to affect Byakuya so much. Ichigo had to do something and decided to help distract his partner to get his mind off personal issues and focus more on his meeting. He questioned, "This style looks different from the one you showed me before. What do you call it?"

" _Gyousho_ ," Byakuya told Ichigo without looking up. Then he gave a small explanation of the difference, and that this style was used more for poems and artistically appealing pieces rather than using it for documentation.

"It's hard to read," Ichigo admitted.

Byakuya nodded, "Yes, it can be." Then he explained that full cursive was even harder to read, nearly impossible sometimes.

Ichigo noticed that Byakuya was no longer holding his wrist and his brush was steady and sure as it should be. Mission accomplished. He watched on silently for the rest of the session, which seemed to take forever before his noble shinigami finally announced it over. He listened to him explain some details about their next meeting and wished everyone a pleasant day.

Ukitake and Unohana appeared to make haste to depart, but with pleasant farewells. It was clear they both knew something was up and that Byakuya needed to be alone with Ichigo.

Renji seemed ecstatic, he was being freed from calligraphy hell, "I guess I'll be seeing you around, Ichigo. Later, Taicho!" The spiky redhead gave Ichigo a friendly cuff to the shoulder on his way out.

When everyone was gone and the room was quiet, Ichigo looked over at Byakuya who sat there with his eyes shut. He sighed. "I'm sorry I disturbed you in the middle of your calligraphy meeting," he claimed honestly.

The noble set his grey eyes on Ichigo. "A challenge awaits no man. You are here to test me," Byakuya replied calmly.

"No...I'm not testing you."

Was Ichigo really serious? Byakuya wanted to believe it even more than his next breath. Settling cool eyes on his lover, he asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Never been surer in my life," Ichigo told him directly, "Aren't you alright with that?"

"More than you know," the noble admitted softly, "What made you decide?"

Ichigo produced a thoughtful face, "A big oaf sat on me."

Frowning, Byakuya cast Ichigo a peculiar look.

The vizard chuckled, "I'm serious. Look, are you freaking out or something? Why are you acting all cold on me...?"

"I just want to assure..."

"...that I won't regret my decision, right?"

"Precisely," Byakuya stated.

Ichigo crawled over on his hands and knees, coming to kneel directly in front of his noble lover. He spoke with honesty, "Byakuya, I realize the sacrifices you are making for me, and that I have to make some for you. That's how these things are supposed to work, right? It has to balance. Anyways, I came to understand that. And I think...for the first time ever, I truly understand what it must have been like for you when you lost your wife, because I know from the second I thought Zero took you from me that my soul would have died along with you."

Byakuya simply stared at him. Such a powerful heart...

"Sure, I could have stayed in the human world, we could have had one of those long distance relationships—whatever that means, but neither of us would have been happy. Fate took me down this path and I intend to keep walking on it, proudly," he said without a doubt. Ichigo gently reached out and placed his hand to the side of Byakuya's face, brushing it over his ear and into his hair like he was touching the most delicate flower in existence.

Needing that tender touch, the noble softly closed his eyes and rest his head against Ichigo's hand.

"I...I just want to be with you," Ichigo rendered.

Byakuya whispered, "I want to be with you, too,"

"Well, here I am. And I don't intend on going anywhere," Ichigo stated astutely.

The coldness of trepidation Ichigo saw in his lover's eyes thawed into something loving and warm. The Byakuya Kuchiki he knew intimately, the man that could no longer hide behind his mask around him, gave him that sultry look that took his soul prisoner and threw away the key. Ichigo brought his body closer and Byakuya met him half way. With urgent intensity, they gathered each other in a devoted embrace, bringing their mouths together in a fervid, thirsty kiss. Resting up on their knees, bodies pressed up against one another, they held on fiercely.

"I'll never let you regret your decision, Ichigo," Byakuya declared eloquently over their kiss.

Ichigo sighed contently and then gave a soft chuckle. He pulled back from the kiss to look at Byakuya. He teased, "Oh, I don't know, Byakuya. If you make me sleep on the floor I might." An amused sniff from the man in his arms washed over his face.

"Are you telling me to acquire a modern bed?" the noble questioned.

"If you don't mind, and make it a big one. You my friend, like to  _spread_  out," Ichigo expressed affably.

"I do not."

"Do so."

Byakuya scoffed.

It was charming when Byakuya didn't get his way and subtly pouted, Ichigo realized with delight. He drew back from their warm hug. "I guess you're going to have to give me some one-on-one lessons in calligraphy, so next time I don't look like such a dumbass in front of your group," he told him somewhat seriously.

"You want to attend again?" Byakuya disclosed. He was sure after one session Ichigo would either claim illness or find somewhere to hide on Calligraphy Club days.

"I'm growing a fondness for the art," Ichigo said. But it was mainly for Byakuya's sake, "I wouldn't mind."

"I see," Byakuya claimed quietly as his eyes took on a beguiling state. Byakuya's lips made claim to Ichigo's strong jaw in which they kissed, making their way over to his ear where he murmured, "In that case, let's have our first lesson." Byakuya got to his feet and moved around behind Ichigo. He knelt by his demonstration calligraphy from earlier and removed the top layer bringing his leadership haiku back to the top. Then he moved the paperweights off to the side and came back to kneel in front of Ichigo again.

"What did you do that for?" Ichigo asked, puzzled.

"You were my inspiration for this poem today. And as the poem claims, I'm simply fulfilling another one of my dreams," the noble affirmed and placed his hands on Ichigo's chest, gently pushing him back, "Lay down."

A quirky, yet, unsure smirk danced over Ichigo's lips as he was urged to lie back on top of the haiku behind him, "What are you doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson..."

"Is that so? How is  _this_  a lesson, exactly?" Ichigo questioned amusedly even though his body was already beginning to respond in favour of Byakuya's little game.

"The kind you won't forget," assured the noble.

"Oh, I see how you work," the younger shinigami offered playfully, "But isn't your piece going to get ruined like this?"

"Impossible," Byakuya chided as he crawled over top of Ichigo, his knees on either side of Ichigo's right thigh and hands on the poem below on either side of the body under him.

Hovering over Ichigo as he lay there centered in the middle of his haiku, Byakuya took a moment to simply gaze down at the man that had ultimately sacrificed his human life to stay and be his lover, his partner, and his friend, his  _everything..._ forever and always. It shocked Byakuya's world so much that he felt a little numb. For so long all he wanted was a chance to feel Ichigo close to him, to kiss into his hair, to hear those words Ichigo spoke to him in dreams... He wanted to promise him love, devotion and to wake up each day beside him and not feel so alone anymore. Byakuya knew there was no one else between the realm of heaven and earth that could make him feel that way. To feel the way Hisana had made him feel once upon a time. It had seemed like such an impossible dream, such an impossible acquisition. He'd been so afraid of rejection, afraid of breaking rules that only dissolved with the growing affections in his heart. Some rules were meant to be broken. Or at least become non-existent, he thought with a haughty chuckle in his mind. Sure, he'd had to deal with plenty of unhappy clansmen about his latest life choices, but he wouldn't bend. And he'd promised, one last promise that this really was the last time he'd seriously break the rules. Hrmph... Their rules, not his own...

He briefly thought back to his final battle with Zero where he claimed that if he were to die, then it would have all been worth it because he'd been given the gift to feel love, twice. Perhaps he really  _was_  spoiled. But Byakuya knew right this instant that the part of him that died from the loss of his first love was given the breath of life again. It was like he had been given a second chance. Ichigo wanted to be here with him! He felt no more uncertainties about what would happen between him and Ichigo. There was no more waiting for answers—it had all been delivered in a cute package with wild tawny-coloured hair. And it was daunting, surreal and exhilarating!

Ichigo swallowed thickly, it was hard not to feel the intensity in the grey eyes that watched him, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I am much too fortunate to have this, to have you. You humble me, Ichigo. Tell me that this is not a just another dream, and that I will wake up momentarily to find myself alone," Byakuya implored softly.

To hear such raw trepidation on Byakuya's voice made Ichigo's heart thud heavily against his chest. "I promise you that this is as real as it gets," he alleged seriously, brows furrowed.

A promise from Kurosaki Ichigo was all anyone needed to hear.

"Even if I wrote a thousand haiku's, it could never express how much you mean to me," Byakuya murmured as he leaned down to kiss and nuzzle beneath Ichigo's chin, "So, I will show you."

Sparks jolted haphazardly over the vizard's skin from the feel of Byakuya's lips on him, his touch and the way he spoke to him. He sighed and lifted his chin, submitting himself to the noble. "Ahh...Byakuya..." Ichigo sighed breathily, his eyes fluttering as that moist, warm mouth drifted over his throat, suckling, nibbling and licking languorously.

Moving his lips lower, Byakuya dropped a kiss where the protection talisman rest in the dip of Ichigo's collarboneand then down into the V of his kosode. "Mmm, say that again," the noble whispered deeply.

"Byakuya..." Ichigo said as he exhaled and improvised the request with his own provocative tenor, "My beautiful, Byakuya."

Oh yes.  _I am delightfully spoiled,_  Byakuya concluded with a throaty chuckle. He sat up with half his weight on Ichigo's leg, his bottom touching his thigh. Byakuya smoothed his hands over the fine material of Ichigo's uniform, exploring his hard body beneath the cloth. His fingers came to the sash that held everything together and untied it. Then, he spread the material away from Ichigo's chest and reached behind him for his calligraphy brush. Gently, Byakuya dipped the tip of his brush into the pool of ink and came back to face Ichigo. Amber eyes watched him closely as he brought the brush to the other man's skin and began to delicately inscribe on his chest.

Ichigo gasped when the cool tip touched him, the brush moving sensually over his skin. It caused ribbons of pleasure to ghost over his flesh, and it made him hard. He glanced across his chest trying to decipher what Byakuya wrote.

It read,  _'Mine'_.

"Are you staking your claim, Byakuya?" Ichigo mused.

The raven-haired man seemed unfazed, "It's in my nature."

"I see that," the younger shinigami said with beguilement. "So...this is how Kuchiki-taicho gives one-on-one calligraphy lessons."

Byakuya scoffed, "Only to the man I have sworn to love."

"That man would be me, right?" Ichigo gave Byakuya a mischievous smile.

"Need I even reply to such a ridiculous statement," the noble huffed, "Don't be silly."

Ichigo couldn't help but tease. "You know I'm messing with you."

"Yes. But teasing me too much could be dangerous to your health," roused the Kuchiki heir.

What a hot head. Ichigo wasn't thwarted, "How dangerous are we talking about?"

Byakuya levelled cool grey eyes on Ichigo, "Let's just say you may find it difficult to sit for an indefinite number of days."

Ichigo's cock was rock hard with the verbal foreplay. "You want to spank me!" he accused, aghast.

Byakuya only gave a tiny congenial smile.

"You really  _are_  something else. You know that?"

"We're not so different, you and I," the noble quipped coolly.

"Are you trying to call me a pervert, too?"

It was so easy to play along. Byakuya answered sincerely, "I apologize for ever doubting your level of intelligence, Ichigo."

Ichigo gave an incredulous chuff.

They stared at each other for a moment as if daring the other to continue.

Ichigo took the bait. "I'm a quick learner," he professed and removed the brush from of Byakuya's fingers. He sat up, urging Byakuya off his leg and then reached over and set the brush on the inkstone. Settled in front of Byakuya, Ichigo did the same as the man had done to him. He loosened his sash and opened the front of his kosode, taking a moment to touch his lover's skin with his hands. However, he removed Byakuya's already stained haori and threw it over his shoulder. It smacked into a wall behind him and slid to the floor in a heap. "Don't want to get that any dirtier than it already is," he told the captain, "I have a feeling this lesson is going to get kinda messy."

Byakuya's eyes went from his tossed haori to Ichigo's handsome face, "Hmm, yes...messier in more ways than one."

" _I love it_  when you talk that way," Ichigo purred. He removed Byakuya's fancy scarf, too, sending it floating off in the same direction as the haori.

Reaching back over to the inkstone, Ichigo claimed the calligraphy brush again and dipped it lightly into the ink, careful not to load it too fully.

Byakuya felt a tremor quake throughout his body when the cool brush tip touched his hot skin; he closed his eyes to savour the sensation as Ichigo wrote on him. Mmm, Ichigo, such a willing participant, so vivacious and enjoyable. He didn't hold back, never treated him with aristocratic sensibilities and pretentious nonsense, not even from day one. Byakuya drank in that enthusiasm like a budding sakura blossom to spring's first warm sun. When the delicious tickle of the brush left him, he looked down. On the front of his left shoulder he read,  _'Heart'_.

"Why heart?" he wondered.

Ichigo looked at him thoughtfully, "Because my heart belongs with you."

How incredibly touching, Byakuya reached out and brushed the pad of his thumb over Ichigo's lips softly, "As does mine with you."

The vizard was breathless.

Byakuya claimed the calligraphy brush once more and set it aside on the inkstone. This time Ichigo lay back on the haiku on his own accord and Byakuya removed Ichigo's hakama and undergarments, but left him still wearing his kosode. He was sure to remove the socks and sandals as well.

Almost naked, Ichigo wondered what Byakuya was going to teach him next, a delighted, naughty smile on his face.

The noble picked up the brush again, swirling it daintily in the ink and settled himself in  _seiza_  between Ichigo's bare legs. He let his eyes roam over his lover's flesh and slid his free hand along his thigh, over his hip and up along the definitions of Ichigo's abdomen. Then, he moved his hand lower and palmed Ichigo's erect length that was hot and silky beneath his touch. Ichigo sucked in his breath sharply and settled heated eyes on him. Purr, Byakuya loved how those eyes felt on him. He wrote on the ridge of Ichigo's thigh, moving the brush skilfully, swiftly. When he finished, a collected drop of ink zigzagged down the younger man's leg, disappearing underneath his thigh.

Ichigo pushed himself up on his elbows. He tried to decipher the scripture. "Hmm...I can't make that out, what does it say?"

"Pride," Byakuya told him. His pride...

" _Pride_...?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yes," the noble answered thoughtfully, but gave no further explanation. He'd let Ichigo figure that one out for himself.

The erotic form of calligraphy didn't end there. Ichigo and Byakuya continued to take turns staining each other with affectionate words of devotion, dedication and love. Rivulets of ink marked their skin and dotted the haiku beneath them, even the floor that was sure to irk  _many_  Kuchiki servants. No longer able to resist the release that their tormented bodies desired, the calligraphy brush was forgotten and Ichigo found himself on his fours while Byakuya entered him from behind.

Ichigo gave a sharp grunt.

On his knees with his hakama lowered to mid thigh, Byakuya pushed himself deep inside with an enchanting groan. He held himself there, momentarily savouring the squeeze and heat of his eternal lover and removed his kosode that was preventing his own heat from escaping. Then without delay, he thrust into Ichigo without remorse.

His body rocking with every stroke, Ichigo dropped the upper half of his body down on the haiku, resting his forehead on his crossed wrists. He mewled and moaned with pleasure. Byakuya felt _so_  good, "Harder," he demanded, wanting to push himself and this man to his limit.

"Ichigo," Byakuya panted, holding onto slender hips. He pumped into him even faster, hips and thighs smacking against Ichigo's ass.

They kept up that momentum until their bodies glistened with perspiration, the haiku beneath them shifting and strained.

He was going to come too fast like this, Byakuya slowed down and eventually stopped altogether.

Ichigo glanced behind him quickly to see why Byakuya had stopped; only the noble leaned into him and wrapped his arms around his torso, urging him back. "Ride me," he insisted in a low rumble, settling Ichigo on his lap, his cock still buried deep inside. Byakuya splayed his hands across Ichigo's chest, his breath rushing against the man's neck.

With a full view of the poem before him, Ichigo planted his feet on either side of Byakuya for balance and leaned back into the warm body behind him. Byakuya kissed into his orange hair as he began to ride him slowly.

On the floor inside the room Byakuya designated for his Calligraphy Club, they made love for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

A few days later Ukitake and Shunsui were strolling through Seireitei when they happened upon Yachiru perched atop one of the Kuchiki manor walls. She was licking a giant lollipop and stifling back bouts of girlish giggles, she appeared to be highly entertained by whatever she was watching.

Ukitake arched a fine dark brow at this spectacle and questioned, "Yachiru, what are doing up there?"

Shunsui lifted lazy eyes up at the young vice-captain of the twelfth, holding his sakkat snug to his head, he sighed. "What could be so interesting in Kuchiki-taicho's yard? Are waves rippling on the pond? Are the ants working hard? Is his grass greener than ours? Don't you think the Shinigami Women's Association has done enough on the other side of that wall?" he murmured part sarcastically and teasingly.

The tiny pink-haired shinigami cast them both a bothersome frown.

The two captains balked and glanced at each other.

Yachiru held a finger to her mouth to silence them and pointed at something down below, on the other side of the wall.

Then Ukitake felt it. He began to chuckle, "I get it. Somewhere on the other side of the wall are Byakuya and Ichigo. Can't you feel that reiatsu, Shunsui?"

Shunsui focused on the spiritual particles flowing around them. One particular signature was flowing with the sweet swirl of romance. "That guy will never learn to control his reiatsu. You'd think he'd run out of it," he said, disbelievingly. But the Captain of the Eight stroked the stubble on his chin and mused, "Let's just take a peek, shall we?"

Ukitake's light brown eyes widened. "Oh no, we shouldn't do that."

"Do what?" boomed a voice behind them.

Yachiru chirped happily, "Kenny!" Then she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she might give them all away. She whispered, "What are you doing here?"

Kenpachi looked at the other two captains briefly but said nothing. To Yachiru he claimed gruffly, "I was looking for you."

"Oh," Yachiru said quietly, "I was just here admiring the lovebirds. It's cute!"

Zaraki Kenpachi only grunted tiredly. "If they start fighting, then call me," he commented and wandered off.

In a flash Shunsui used his shunpo to reach the small arch of the clay-tiled wall top. He knelt and took a good look. A few yards away, under a now leafy cherry tree, the blooms past their prime, sat Ichigo with his back against the trunk and a recumbent Byakuya with his head on his lap. The noble captain was stretched out over the grass and using Ichigo's leg as a pillow, appearing content as the newly appointed Academy instructor laced his fingers around black tendrils of hair that decorated Byakuya's face. In a flash Ukitake joined Shunsui and smiled at what he saw.

"Who would have thought, hmm?" Ukitake whispered.

"What, that Byakuya has finally found something new and less depressing to obsess about?" Shunsui quipped in a good way, "See, I knew his trip to the real world would do him good. I mean look at that, he got a hell of a lot more than just colour on those cheeks."

Ukitake chuckled softly. "Yeah, he sure did."

"Ssssh!" demanded Yachiru, who zoned out the yappy captains and twittered girlishly again. She knew that since Ichigo was in the picture she had to re-invent new ways to torture Byakuya and the Kuchiki manor, and part of what she was doing now was a little reconnaissance. A wise warrior was always prepared for battle. Kenny taught her that.

**FIN**


End file.
